He Could Be The One
by anedderm
Summary: Okay This is a Lante story, but after the first two chapters it is going to go a bit AU i want to try and keep some of the drama from the show because they are so ficking amazing. PLEASE R/R, reviews honestly make me write faster
1. The Beginning of the End

**A/N--This is my first GH fan fic ever and I hope that everyone enjoys. I would like to say that i LOVE reviews so please review. This Story is about Lulu and Dante, there will be other characters making appearances because honestly it is GH can you honestly show these two without their beloved family and friends. I hope you guys enjoy and as i said please review, good or bad I like input!Oh, this story also take place after the Limo scene!**

**He Could Be the One**

**Chapter 1--The Beginning of the End.**

Lulu Spencer smiled as she closed the door behind her. Maybe becoming invested wasn't as bad as she remembered it being. Dante was a nice guy with a stable family not like the guys in her past.

She loved that he didn't say things just because she wanted to hear them, or protect her from the things he didn't think she couldn't handle. Dante respected her, in a way most guys she was with never did, she was like her cousin Carly, strong-willed, independent, and curious.

Dante got those things about her. He hadn't stopped her when she insisted in looking for Carly in the dead of night, instead he had embraced it and headed out with her. That's when she remembered who he really was, when he was keeping her alive in the flooding Zacharra basement. Dante truly got who she was so why had she fought him so hard?

That was an easy question to answer though, she was scared. Lulu was scared of becoming her mother, or of finding a guy like her father. She knew she wasn't her mother though, she had gone through hell and beat the devil. Dante definitely was not her father either.

Maybe Dante was undercover as Dominic, but wasn't it Dominic that had first caught her attention. It was definitely Dominic that she stood by in the hospital when his Kidneys were failing, and it was Dominic who had taken a beating from her well meaning brother's. Yes Dominic and Dante were one in the same, they were just two sides to the same coin.

It was Dominic who had scared her. Making a career with Sonny. Dominic reminded her of Johnny, and Johnny had hurt her more than any man before ever had. Dante hated the mob, he wasn't a good little soldier like Jason or Johnny. Dante was a hero, he fought to protect those he loved, and he was starting to love those he was supposed to be fighting.

That was part of the problem though, because the ones he was fighting against were her loved ones. Almost everyone close to her would be hurt by him turning Sonny in. Lulu smiled when Maxi entered the room, bringing her from her thoughts.

"You're home late?" Maxi questioned, obviously wondering how the night had been. "How was you're date?"

Lulu smiles following her nosey roommate to the couch. "He took me to the Opera."

"The Opera, so he took you to the city?"

"Yep." Lulu replies wondering where Maxi is going with this.

"And did you tell him you could get into any club you wanted?"

"Yep" Maxi looks at Lulu with a smile.

"We should definitely hook him up with Spinelli then, because there is only so much film noir I can handle, and your new boy toy seems to enjoy the nerd fest the same as my non-husband." Lulu smiles at her friends sudden out burst.

"It wasn't that bad actually" Lulu explains. "I fought it at first but in the end it was beautiful."

"Oh now I know you've got it bad." Lulu just smiles at Maxi, there was no use denying it she did have it bad.

* * *

Dante stood outside Lulu's door for a few minutes after dropping her off. He wanted to knock and give her one last kiss. He had known she was trouble from the moment he saw her in Jake's. She had been worth every ounce of it though.

She was the kind of girl he had always wanted to bring home to his mother, hell she was friends with his mom. Lulu was one of the few who knew Olivia was more than his bosses ex though. He liked that she knew his secret, yeah at first she had almost gotten him killed, calling him officer, and stuff.

She never pulled his strings though, she didn't use it to her own advantage like some did. She like his mom worried about his safety. That is what made her different. She never judged him, even when she knew him as Dominic she didn't judge. She may have had snippy comments and tried to avoid him but that was their game.

It didn't take Dante long to get home. He let himself in sighing as he turned the light on, there was no way he was sleeping after the night he had just had. Instead he opened the file on Franco trying to find the missing piece. He found himself lost in the file trying to find the connection.

When his phone rang he about jumped in shock it was almost 2 in the morning. He looked at the caller ID and saw Jason's name flash across the screen. He quickly answered his phone, knowing that it must be important for the mob's number one enforcer to be calling this late.

"Franco has Sam." Shock reels through his body, Franco had only been attacking Jason until now. "I need you to get to the Office."

Dante hangs up without a response, heading to see Sonny and Jason. When he gets to the office Jason is nowhere to be found. However, Sonny is waiting for him.

"I need you to do something for me." Dante takes a seat waiting for Sonny to continue. "Franco dug up Claudia's body. I need you to find it."

This is the piece of evidence he needs to put them all behind bars. The problem is that right now none of that is important. There is an innocent woman involved in the sick game that Franco is playing. "Boss, Claudia's body could be anywhere, and with Jason out of touch…"

"That body could have evidence on it, I need it retrieved, I need to know I can trust you with this." Dominic nods, how the hell is he supposed to find a body when he doesn't know where it was originally buried and now it has been moved.

"You got it boss…he needs a place to keep the body, somewhere cold so I'll ask Spinelli to look for commercial refrigeration and storage units."

"No, don't distract Spinelli he is helping Jason find Sam." Dominic again nods allowing Sonny to see that he understands.

"Anything else boss?"

"You're good, just please get on that."

* * *

Lulu headed to the hospital to see Ronnie. She needed to ask him about his connection to Franco. Dante had asked her to stay out of it, but that isn't who she was. She was after all a Spencer, and Spencer's loved adventures one of the few qualities that she and her dad shared.

"So, I suppose I owe you my life." Ronnie mused as she entered the room.

"Something like that, I'm glad to see you're doing better, you had us scared."

"I'm good as new though." Ronnie replied moving his hands to indicate his battered body. "But I am doubting you came here on a social visit."

"No, I came to ask why Franco wanted you dead." She watched Ronnie as he calculated his answer to her.

"I don't even know Franco, as I told you before I should have been paying better attention."

"He didn't slow down."

"Well, than I think you should be asking him why he felt the need to kill me, as I said I don't know who he is." Lulu was getting frustrated by his lack of cooperation.

"Well I guess I'm just wasting both of ours time. I will let you get you're sleep." Lulu knew there was more that Ronnie wasn't telling her, but knew that Ronnie was really a cop. He was trained to be a master of deception.

Lulu walked out of the room to see Dante heading her way. She knew she had time to duck out of the way but what was the point. They both knew that she wouldn't drop this until she found a logical answer.

"Hey, you coming to visit Ronnie?" There was a certain awkwardness hanging between them. In the limo things had became intense, but they hadn't talked about what that meant. She was okay without that conversation and Dante was in no rush to force her to have it.

"Yeah, you?"

"Already did, I asked him why Franco would want him dead."

"And…" Dante hated to admit it but lulu was more likely to get information from him than he was. Ronnie had always had a soft spot for beautiful woman.

"And he maintained that he just wasn't careful enough. Maybe I am wrong, and this has nothing to do with Franco." Dante wished that were true Ronnie was the only partner he had ever had.

"Tell me what you saw again?" Lulu complies, telling Dante everything she remembers. Dante sighs it's as he thought. "Then I don't think it's a coincidence. I know enough not to expect you to stay clear of this, but will you at least be careful. That means no playing Nancy Drew with Maxi."

Lulu nods. "No Nancy Drew, got it."

"I'm serious here Lulu, be careful, don't go looking for trouble." Lulu rolls her eyes at him this time, he obviously hasn't been in Port Charles very long.

"You don't really have to look for trouble here, in case you haven't noticed." Talking to her was useless sometimes and this seemed to be one of those times.

"Fine be careful, either way I should get going." Dante gives her a kiss on the forehead and heads to Ronnie's room.

* * *

Lucky drew in a deep breath as he walked into the PCPD to find Sonny Corintho's sitting at his desk. He knew why he was there, but as Sonny nonchalantly looked through the pages sitting on Lucky's desk he began to worry. Not only was Dante's life in danger if Sonny read too much, but his sisters heart was at stake. He knew that Lulu would never admit it out loud, but she was invested in Dominic. That was something he could tell before he had known the secret she was helping him keep.

Walking over to his desk Lucky took one more deep breathe. "Those are confidential files you know."

Sonny didn't miss a beat as he immediately released the papers he had in his hand. "Yeah they were about to fall off you're desk so I was pushing them back on."

Sonny didn't seem to be too upset, so Lucky took it as he hadn't gotten to far into the files. "Thanks, but I doubt the cleanliness of my desk is why you are hear."

"I heard you arrested Jason, I was wondering why he hadn't called Diane to defend him yet."

Lucky was annoyed at the pompousness of Sonny Corintho's, but pushed it down. Sonny had helped him out when he needed somewhere to go and for that he owed him. He also kept Lulu under his protection, which was good considering the trouble she tended to find herself in. "We didn't have the evidence needed so we just let him go, you should call Carly though."

Sonny looked at the younger man in confusion, why would Lucky be telling him to call his ex-wife? "And why is that?"

"Franco took Carly. He vandalized Jocelyn's room. Jason found her but still can't find Sam." Lucky feels bad for the man he once looked to as a friend as realization hits Sonny. "The only reason I am going along with any of this, is because I care about Sam's well-being, and she would want us to trust Jason."

"Thank you, I appreciate the favor." Lucky watched Sonny leave. He had a feeling that this would get much worse before it got better. This was Port Charles.


	2. Dangerous Games

A/N--PLease please review, reviews really do help with the writing. Also this Chapter has a little bit more of my own ideas worked into it. I already have chapter 3 started too btw

* * *

**Chapter 2--Dangerous Games**

Dante entered Sonny's office with reluctance. The message he had received had been cryptic, and with his line of work that could mean untimely death. He reminded himself to relax as he opened the door, the sure fire way to get himself killed was by being distraught.

"I went to the police station today." Sonny said as Dante entered the room. "They let Jason go you know, insufficient evidence."

Dante took a silent breath, wondering why he had been called off assignment for that bit of news. "That's good to hear, any word on Sam?"

"That's not why I called you here though." Dante's heart sank once again. This time not for himself, but for his mother who repeatedly placed herself in a direct line with Sonny's work. "While I was waiting for Detective Spencer I saw a file on you. Lucky had your cell phone number on his desk."

Dante stood frozen a second making sure that Sonny wasn't going to continue. "I spent Christmas with his family."

"So you're telling me that a member of the PCPD invited one of my men to Christmas dinner?"

You could tell by the look on Sonny's face that he wasn't buying it. "Well through gritted teeth of course." Dominic hadn't wanted to bring Lulu into things but it looked like he was going to have to. "He said that the holidays were hard for Lulu and he thought me being there might make things a bit easier on her. He probably just left my number on his desk."

Sonny sighed letting him know that there was more. "And your three visits to Lucky in the last couple weeks."

Dante knew he had to lie to get himself out of this one. "He was questioning me about Claudia's disappearance, I didn't know anything so he dropped it. I didn't think it was that big of deal so I didn't mention it."

"You should have told me, Lucky isn't as stupid as most of the PCPD. I need to be able to trust my men." Sonny stood from his seat, pacing the room for a minute. "So this thing with Lulu, its getting serious?"

Dante was furious with Lucky's recklessness, but the mention of Lulu reminded him of that common bound between them, the need for Lulu's safety. "She would never admit it, but yeah I like her."

"Well then I think you need to know a few things about Lulu." Dante while happy for the change in subject, was a bit uncomfortable with the conversation they were about to have. He nodded allowing Sonny to continue. Sonny closed his eyes thinking back to the days when Luke had been one of his dearest companions.

"Lulu's mother Laura, is on of the greatest women I have ever had the privilege of knowing. She was a great mother to. When Lulu was about four Laura got very sick though, going into a catatonic state." Sonny eyed Dante making sure that he was truly paying attention. "As I'm sure you know Luke isn't the greatest father, but he did what he could, Lulu ended up going to live with family. Like you she grew up without a father figure though. It was hard on her. I am telling you this to press the point that even though she has a tough exterior, she is more vulnerable than most so don't hurt her.""I would never do anything to hurt Lulu." It was the only thing he could think to say at that moment. "I do think I should get back to work though."

Sonny dismissed Dante, and finally as he exited the office Dante felt as if he could breath again. That was a closer call than he would have liked, but he had survived, he would deal with Lucky and the mistake later. Right now he needed to get to Franco's apartment, and find the spot where he would be keeping Claudia's dead body.

* * *

"Crimson offices, please hold." Lulu answered once again. This was the worst possible day for Maxi to go awol. "Yes the blue pumps were shipped last night, the strapless not the sling backs. Yes I know, The scarlet dress is here for the spring line still, I can have it shipped tomorrow."

Lulu is so distracted by the onslaught of phone calls that she doesn't here the opening of the elevator doors until her visitor is right behind her.

"Where is the other one?" Franco asks making Lulu jump.

"She isn't here, I will tell her you stopped by though." Lulu looked for an exit, that is what you do in a dangerous situation, make an exit strategy.

"See that doesn't really work. I am on a tight time schedule, and I need a choice for Jason. I suppose you will do." Lulu looks at Franco, he will over power her if she tries to fight. She knows this, she remembered it from Logan, and Franco was an experienced killer. She didn't stand a chance in a fight against him. All she could really do was bide the time until he took her.

"I'm not much of a choice against Sam" Lulu says with a steady voice. "Jason and I barely know each other."

"Now that Is a lie Lulu." Lulu closes her eyes to hide the tears that were forming. She was a Spencer she laughed in the face of danger. "See you are important to a lot of people that mean the world to Jason, Carly specifically. I don't know why I didn't immediately think of you."

"You know Jason will kill you right?" Lulu says a little braver this time. If she is going to die it might as well be fighting. "You're cousin seemed to think the same thing, yet here I am, living and breathing. See you all think of Jason as this great hero when in reality he is just like me. So why am I so bad Lulu?"

"Jason is nothing like you." Lulu replied through her teeth, as Franco reached in to grab her hair. "Jason kills to protect you kill for fun the difference is that Jason takes no pride in his killing."

Franco pulls Lulu's hair a little tighter and on impulse she throws the papers off her desk, at least this way somebody would know that she hadn't just left.

"See why can't you people be more respectful. That's all I wanted was Jason's respect, and now here we are." Franco led Lulu to the elevator, there was no use fighting.

* * *

"What are you doing here?" Dante asked as he enters Franco's apartment.

"I could ask you the same thing." Maxi retorted as she continued looking through folders. "If you must know I think Franco, might have something on me."

Dante stood in silence for a minute, deciding how to best put things. "Are you stupid?"

"No, but I am not about to have my career ended over some stupid intercession."

He looks at the girl incredulously, this girl was awfully dense. "You realize that Franco has Sam right?"

"You know about that I think she just needed some time alone. You know, she wouldn't have went without a fight that isn't Sam."

"Maxi the guy is delusional and if he comes back we might both be dead."

"Well you could help me." Maxi says handing Dante a stack of folders.

"Fine, but what am I looking for." Dante says while moving to a box of papers on the floor. It is best to get Maxi out of here as fast as possible.

"Trust me when you see it you will know." Maxi definitely wasn't helping him out right now.

"Shit…" Dante says under his breath.

"what, did you find the pictures?" Dante hands the paper he had just looked at to Maxi.

"I don't get it, what is this?"

"That would be plans for a bomb." Maxi looks at the page again.

"Okay but that doesn't mean anything, Franco is an artist." Maxi finally looks Dante in the eyes. "It is probably just the blueprints for his next sculpture. Franco doesn't look at things like you and I do he is more like Spinelli, he gets so involved in his work that sometimes the lines between reality and fiction blur."

"Maxi do you get what you just said, that makes him more dangerous than ever, if he doesn't know the difference between reality and his art we are all in a lot of trouble. WE should get going."

Maxi followed Dante in silence, of that he was glad, he needed to get her where ever she was going and tell Jason what he had heard.

When Maxi asked Dante to take her to crimson Dante was somewhat relieved that he would be able to see Lulu and warn her of the looming danger. However walking in to see Lulu's desk completely askew knocked the relief right out of him.

"What the?" Maxi asked as she rushed to answer the phone on her own desk. "Crimson please hold. Lulu was supposed to be filling in for me while I was gone. Leave it to her to screw up even the simplest of tasks."

Dante Rolled his eye's at the blonde in front of him. "Do me a favor call Spinelli and tell him to look over the Crimson Security tapes from the last hour."

The realization suddenly hit Maxi that her best friend had not left on her own. "You don't think?"

"I don't know Maxi, just call, tell him to look for Lulu leaving the office." Maxi nodded and called Spinelli like Dante had asked. Dante pulled out his phone and dialed Jason, he now had two things to tell the hit man.

"Jason, it's Dominic. Look I know you didn't want to be disturbed, but I think Franco may have taken Lulu to replace Carly. Also, I was in his apartment and saw plans for a bomb, I don't know exactly what we are up against but I know that he's more dangerous than maybe even you thought. I already called Spinelli to get the surveillance footage."

"Okay call Lucky tell him what's going on, after you see for sure that he took her. Make sure that he knows I'm not going to let anything happen to Lulu, and that if he involves the police they might both die."

Dante's phone rang not even a minute later, he looked at the caller Id to see Spinelli's name appear on it. "The Fair Maximista said to call if I saw the original blonde one leave with the dark dementor."

"And?" Dante asks having no patience for Spinelli's round about way of saying things at this point.

"And the original blonde one was taken." Dante hung up without even a goodbye knowing that Lucky would want to know about his little sister.

* * *

"Look Jason has enough on his mind with Sam, and yes he love's Lulu to, but she still isn't Sam."

"I can't see letting him letting this psycho kill anyone though." Dante said, he knew what Jason would do to this guy, and still he didn't care. Franco needed to be stopped, and he may have let him get through the cracks but it wasn't happening again.

"Do you trust Jason enough to bet my sister's life on it?" Lucky asks in a bitter tone, this was his baby sister they were talking about. "I agree on not getting the police involved, but I won't sit by and do nothing while a serial killer uses my sister in some sort of sick game."

"Fine but you have to at least tell him, so that he is aware." Dante says, agreeing with Lucky. "and I am helping you."

Lucky's anger subsides for a second. "You really care for her don't you?"

"I don't think I realized how much until I knew she was in real danger. You're sister is something else." Dante says truthfully. He had never let a girl get so close to him before.

"She does have that effect on people."

"So I've noticed, is there anybody in this town who wouldn't kill for her?" Dante was glad for the light topic in the midst of what they would most likely have to do.

"Physically in this town, probably not." Lucky says as he reaches for his phone. "I'll deal with Jason, you see if you can find anything on Franco."

Again for what seemed like the twentieth time Dante's phone rang. The caller surprised him. "You're mom told me about Lulu and I want to help. This psycho dug up my sister, and is using her, and now he has Lulu, I told you before I owe her."

"Me and Lucky are already on it but we could use your help, I already started looking for places that he would have taken Claudia's body, I will forward the list to you, if you can go through that it might give us something to go on." Dante says into the phone. He had actually started to like Johnny, before Johnny found out the truth. Lucky walks back into the room looking quizzically at Dante. "That was Johnny he wants to help, and in all honesty I think we can use all the help we can get."

"Agreed." Lucky says, sitting back at his desk with his head in his hands. After everything he had learned today, he just needed to hit the pause button for a second.


	3. Uncertian Death

**A/N--So i had to add Carly into this chapter, because I loved her scene with Michael on Thursday. Today's show also made me smile, well at least for Sam...Dante hurry up is all I can say. ANYway's I hop you like this chapter and that you review!!!**

* * *

**Chapter 3 -- Uncertain Death**

Franco smirks at the Lulu as she squirms in the chair. "You know I think you and Sam may be my greatest masterpieces yet."

"It's never going to happen" Lulu says struggling against the ropes. "Jason and Dominic will stop you."

"You mean Mr. Falcanari right?" Franco says taunting her. "See as soon as he tries to save you I will tell him what I have over him, do you really think you're life is worth his?"

"That still leaves Jason." Lulu says wanting to know everything she can before he leaves again. At least she can be informed if she dies.

"Yes but if you live than Sam dies, I know you were there when Ronnie left my cryptic message." Franco said while setting himself on a can across from Lulu. "See if Jason doesn't get here in time you both die, and by the time I meet him you will have mere minutes left. You and Sam are miles apart there will be know way to save you both"

"Jason will find a way, he always does." Lulu spits out. She wasn't going down without a fight, and since she couldn't move she hoped she could at least break his confidence enough to give Jason a fighting chance.

She could see that she was starting to get to Franco to, in little ways but enough to notice. Maybe she would be able to help Jason from where she sat. It probably wouldn't help her live, but at least she was doing something.

"Blah blah blah, all of you and your precious Jason." Franco was taunting her and she couldn't stop him. "What makes him such a hero honestly? You all think he's going to save you, I wonder though, do any of you show him the same disrespect he shows me."

"Jason earns the respect he get's he doesn't expect it." Lulu taunts.

"Well he won't earn it this time, so enjoy your last hours alive." Franco hops off the barrel he had been sitting on. "Oh and if Dante does come to save you, make sure you enjoy your last hours with him, because Mr. Corintho's surely will not live will not let your boyfriend live. See it is good to be well informed." He shuts the door behind him.

Lulu wanted to scream, but the mention of Dante brought tears to her eyes. She knew he would come for her, that's who he was, and she knew that in the end he would die, because of her. She heard his voice in his head joking with her, telling her he always knew she would be the death of him.

Lulu was going to live, and when she did she would find a way to save Dante. Nobody was going to die because of her. Then she thought of Sam, she knew that Sam would be having the same dilemma as her, at least she hoped Sam was. They would find a way to save them, Jason and Dante, they had to. Jason had dealt with a sadistic man like Franco before, he would find a way to save them both.

* * *

"He's at the office." Dante said after hanging up with Milo.

"Who is at the office?" Lucky asked from behind his desk.

"Franco" The answer was simple and both guys rushed to the car. "You realize that Sonny isn't going to let you arrest Franco right?"

"I don't care that guy put his hands on Lulu. Jason can have him for all I care." The tone in Lucky's voice made Dante smile a bit.

"You weren't lying when you said you cared for them, Sonny and Jason I mean." Dante asked looking at Lucky.

"Sonny gave me odd job's when I left home." Lucky's reply was simple, but he knew that Dante needed more. "Now Jason that's a different story, he is or was my best friends brother. Out of respect for her, I respect him. To tell you the truth though, sometimes I think Sonny and Jason are the lesser of two evils. I met Anthony Zacharra and while everyone likes to blame Sonny for the violence, it will never stop. If Sonny isn't in power it will be somebody else, at least Sonny is a decent guy he doesn't ask for the violence that follows him"

Dante nods, it is somehow comforting to know that he isn't the only cop around the Corintho's organization that had went soft. "Are you sure you aren't a mole?"

"You're still alive aren't you?" Lucky asks pulling into the Italian restaurant. "Plus, I said I thought he may be the least of the evils, I still don't think they are above the law, and even if Sonny doesn't ask for the violence it's still there, and it comes down on the people he cares most about."

Dante opens the door, happy that they are finally somewhere close to answers. "Well let's see what we can get from this." They enter the restaurant guns in hand.

"

"He's in the office." Milo mumbles as they walk in. Lucky and Dante head towards the office.

"So see Jason has to choose between Sam and an innocent by-stander." Franco taunts. "Oh, it's nice of you to join us."

"Has he told you who the innocent by-stander is Sonny?" Lucky asks, "Has the sicko told you that he brought my sister into this sick game."

Sonny's face goes blank. Lulu Spencer had been put in danger so often due to his dealings. This guy wasn't even a part of that, he was a random psycho that none of them had expected.

"Ahhh, Lucky Spencer and Mr. Pirelli is it? It is so hard to remember peoples names when you know so much about so many"

"Cut the games Franco!" Sonny yells as Franco takes a seat. "Now where are they?"

"See if I told you it would ruin all the fun, I will tell you if your hit man fails it will be an amazing fireworks show. Oh and the only way they both live is if Jason can muster enough patience to play the game."

"Enough!! Get out while you still have a life."

"Tell Jason to wait for my message. I will Give him a time, no weapons, no phone no backup." Franco stood up walking to the door. "Oh and tell your guards they should keep the pigs out.!"

Dante began to wonder what exactly Franco knew about him. The cryptic comments about his name and cops had freaked him out a bit. Normal people would have thought nothing of it, but Franco was not a normal guy, and he had looked right at Dante when he said those things.

* * *

Carly hugged her crying son. She had finally made a break through with him. She knew he wasn't okay with murdering Claudia, she had given birth to him, a mother knows these things. She had told him to put it all on her, and she was right.

"It's gonna be alright Michael." She whispers while hugging her son. "You didn't change as much as you thought you did."

Michael pulls back looking at his mother with curiosity. "How didn't I?"

Carly now smiles at her son. "You were always my protector. Yes maybe your temper control was better, and your attitude nicer, but when it comes to who you are inside, where it counts, you didn't change one bit."

"Thanks Mom." Carly's phone rings pulling both back from their moment. "Will you go pack please? I want my family to be safe and I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't think this was best."

Michael nodded, grabbing his mothers phone from the counter. "Yeah, I'll do that."

Carly smiles grabbing the phone from Michael's hand as he heads up stairs. "Carly Jax here."

"Carly, I know you guys are getting ready to leave but I need to know anything you might have left out last night." Lucky's voice rang through the phone, and she could hear the fear in it.

"I don't know much, as I said I was blindfolded, but we had already stopped at the point that he found out Jason had been arrested, I think we made a right when we started again. We didn't drive more than ten minutes after that."

"Thanks, that might have helped." Lucky's voice was still filled with fear and she doubted that she had done anything. Suddenly it hit her though, there were only three things in the world that would make him that scared. One his son Jake, two his fiancé Elizabeth, and three his sister.

She knew which of those three would get to Jason the most and felt her heart sink, as much as she hated Liz, she wouldn't wish Franco on anyone, and making Jason choose between the two, that what this was all about wasn't it, Jason choosing. "Is Elizabeth okay?"

"Oh yeah sorry." Lucky sounded distant in his answer so she decided to press a bit more.

"Lucky, what's going on?"

"Franco took Lulu Hostage." Carly's breath caught for a second. She loved her cousin almost as one of her own children. Until Josslyn Lulu had been the daughter she didn't have.

"But why Lulu? Her connection to Jason is minuscule." She heard Lucky sigh, "you know I could stay and help look for her."

"Carly it will be okay, me and Dominic are doing research for Jason and he is looking for them both. You need to take care of your family, just call me if you remember anything else okay?"

"Of course, and you have her call me the minute you find her." Carly hung up the phone, not realizing that Morgan and Michael had re-entered the room.

"Mom, what happened to Lulu?" Morgan asked. Carly hadn't planned on telling the boys until they had left.

"Franco got to Lulu honey. Don't worry though, Dominic and Lucky are helping Jason out. "

"Don't worry mom, Dominic will save her like he saved me." Carly smiled at her youngest son.

"Yeah, he is definitely in love with her, he's not going to let Franco hurt her." Michael cut in. Carly thought for a minute, the boys were right, but how had she not seen this? Dominic loved her cousin, and she had completely missed it. There was no way that Lulu would be hurt not with Dominic and her brother looking for her.

"Okay, are you boys packed?" Both boys nodded, and Carly couldn't help but smile, her family was going to survive this.

* * *

Lulu had been fighting against the chair since Franco had left, if only she could get her hand loose she could get to her cell phone. She could feel the strap across her arm loosening the more she tried, and knew that eventually the straps would be loose enough to free her arms from. She couldn't get up she knew that, not without killing Sam but at least if she could warn them so she didn't die.

"Lulu." Franco was singing her name the same as Anthony had so long ago. "Lulu, you are a rather quiet hostage you know. It makes me wonder what your up to."

"Nothing." Lulu tells him, she knew being loud wouldn't do much. Franco had put too much work into this scenario for her to be found by sheer yelling. That's why she was happy that her cell phone had been on vibrate in her boot. She had felt the phone calls she knew that somebody had figured out she was missing. That meant there was still a chance she had only been tied up for a few hours "Just waiting to hear that Jason put a bullet in your head."

"See now, that's not very nice, and here I brought a present for you." Lulu looked at her captor with caution, what had he brought her.

Franco uncovered a tv monitor. The screen was split in half one, screen showed Franco's empty loft, while the other showed a glass box. The box held Sam. "What is this?"

"I just thought you might like to have a warning before you died, see Jason will eventually meet me at my apartment and I will give him the address to find you and Sam, but as I said you will have mere minutes to live."

Lulu couldn't control the tears this time. Her ability to control her emotions had been lost. She started screaming as she watched Franco exit the room. She now understood that this wasn't a game Jason was supposed to win, this was a game Franco had created to destroy Jason.


	4. Deafening

A/N--SO this wasn't exactly how i had planned the Lante save, but its my hope that it goes like this...I guess we will see on monday. I should have chapter five up by tomorrow with a fun little dream sequence and a Lulu/Sam moment, we don't get to see that. I will also have some Lulu/maxi simply because I love there friendship, and some Ducky bromance...!!! Please Comment...Comments make me happy, and as I am GH free till monday it also inspires my creative side.

**Chapter 4--Deafening**

Dante picked up the piece of chalk as they searched Franco's warehouse. "The chalk doesn't fit. Its about the bombs here, but yet he has the chalk."

Lucky looked at him, there had to be a reason, from what he had gathered Franco was too precise to make a mistake. "Then it has to be something else."

"I need to look at that first file again, I think that everything links back to that first murder somehow." Dante was pacing around the room. Franco had enough explosives to blow a better half of Port Charles up, yet he was using them on two woman, to prove a point that nobody quite understood.

Lucky broke into Dante's thoughts. "I ordered a paper copy of the Tribecca file a while ago, its at the precinct."

"Then let's go maybe we can find a clue there."

Lucky looked at Dante for a moment. "You realize when we are done, your cover will be blown."

"I will deal with that problem when it comes, right now all that matters is that Lulu is safe."

"That's what I wanted to hear." Lucky grabbed his Jacket heading out the door. This was the guy for his sister, he knew that.

* * *

"Sam is in a warehouse off of Montcalm, it's your warehouse, Lulu is a few miles away 234 Bristol drive, you might want to hurry though, because both girls have 15 minutes to live." Jason was heading towards the door as soon as the words exited Franco's mouth. "Oh and the man you are about to call to save Lulu, he isn't who you think he is, but I'll tell you that when we meet again."

Jason ran to his car faster than he ever had. He knew where Sam was and that was what mattered. Getting into his car he grabbed his cell phone. "Dominic, Lulu is at 234 Bristol Street, you have 12 minutes before the bomb goes off."

Jason hung up the phone, hoping that Dominic would make it on time, he didn't want Lulu to die.

Dante's heart stopped when he heard the news. Lulu, the first girl he had ever seen that white picket fence dream becoming a reality with had mere minutes to live. As he headed for his car he called Lucky, hopefully one of them could get there in time. Lulu couldn't die, not this way, not while he was supposed to be protecting her.

He had barely gotten out of the door when Mac stopped him. "I told you to stay away, there is nothing more important than bringing Sonny down."

"Not now Mac."

"Yes now." Mac said, grabbing Dante's arm. "This is the best time, unless you plan on busting Sonny from 10 feet under."

"Look unless you want Lulu Spencer's death on your hands you will drop this, my cover is not as important as saving her right now." Mac dropped the his arm. He didn't need to know anything else, he knew that Maxi couldn't handle loosing somebody else.

"Where is she, I will send guys in the area over." Mac says. "If you mean what you say, take a squad car, if you live past tonight there is always a spot for you on the PCPD."

Dominic takes the key's and tells Mac where Lulu is. After tonight he's going to need a new job and a miracle, but right now all that matters is getting to Lulu on time.

* * *

Lulu looks at the timer below her as she sees Jason bust through the door on the monitor. He had went to save Sam, she knew he would but with seven minutes left and no sign of help that meant she would ultimately die. She began screaming again, hoping that anybody would hear her.

She watched the screen as Jason tried to shoot a hole in the glass box. She saw the black outline of the bullet fly back at Jason, bullet proof glass. She had hoped Sam would be a quick save, giving them time to get to her, but she could tell that Franco hadn't made it easy for him. She tore her eyes from the screen to see the ticker once again.

4 minutes until her brains would cover the streets of Port Charles. That was the time she had left. Her screaming had been overcome by deep sobs. This is where she would die, alone.

Lulu couldn't hear anything over the thoughts in her head. She didn't know that she wasn't alone anymore until she saw Dante standing in front of her, he undid the straps on her arms, and feet and picked her up. He had saved her. She looked to the timer one last time as Dante started running. Three seconds left.

They had barely gotten to the door when she heard the explosion and felt the heat. Dante fell, landing on top of her.

It took her a minute to regain consciousness and she could hear her brother calling her from somewhere in the building. She had survived an explosion before, why not now too. This was different though, because Dante was on top of her and he wasn't waking up. This couldn't be happening, he couldn't die, not trying to save her.

She pushed Dante onto his back. "Come on Dante, wake up." She begged. "I know you have some cheesy pick up line for me right now, so wake up and say it." Still nothing.

The tears freely fell down her cheeks as she felt for a pulse. It took a minute but she could feel a weak one. "You can't die on me not after everything you're mom has done trying to keep you safe, not after I lied for you."

When Lucky got to Lulu she was inconsolable. He had to pick her up from Dante's body just to let the paramedics get to him. "He's gonna be alright Lulu."

"You don't know that" She yelled, fighting against the hug Lucky had pulled her into. "He did this to save me you know. This is my fault."

Lucky's heart was breaking for his younger sister. "Lulu, the Paramedics will take care of him, and they are going to bandage you up as well." he said pointing out the large gash on Lulu's arm.


	5. Weakness

A/N--Okay so I lied and said there would be some Lulu-Sam, but there isn't I had a scene written in and didn't like it. AND I didn't wake Dante up either. **PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE review**. If i get five reviews i will post when i wake up in tomorrow...Chapter six is almost done and it is sure to make the lante fans happy. Lucky has also kind of taken on his own life in this story, i love Jonathan Jackson He was the first lucky I ever knew so i couldn't help myself.

* * *

**Chapter 5--Weakness**

Lucky paced the waiting room, not sure who he was more worried about. Lulu was getting tests done, to check for internal bleeding, and things like that while the guy he was pretty sure was dating his sister was lying on a bed unresponsive.

He decided that seeing an okay Sam would ease his mind a little bit. Even Sam seemed more fragile tonight though, maybe it was because of what she had just been through, or maybe it was the hospital gown, but she greeted him with a smile and immediately he knew it would be okay.

"Lulu doing okay?" She asked as he entered her room. His heart would always hold a soft spot for her.

"Not much worse than you, a couple scrapes and bruises." Lucky replied. "I am worried about Dominic though." Lucky said reminding himself that he wasn't sure who knew what yet.

"Really, you worried about one of Sonny's men?" Sam questioned with a smirk on her face.

"Well he saved my sister, I feel he deserves a little respect." Sam nodded a knowing smile on her face. She had known him long enough to know that saving Lulu put anybody on good terms with Lucky.

"Yeah, he is a good guy." Sam says agreeing. "That still doesn't explain why you're here though, instead of with Lulu."

"Well she is in with Patrick having some tests run."

"So you're worried about her still?"

"I am always worried about her, she is my little sister." Lucky told Sam honestly.

"Yeah Liz, came by and told me you were a wreck earlier."

"Liz visited you?" He felt a pang of sadness, because he hadn't even thought to call his Fiancé and tell her Lulu was okay.

"Yes, and we were even nice to each other." He looked at Sam's smile and couldn't help but feeling a bit better. She was always good at just talking to him until he was okay again.

"Well, I'm glad you are okay. Tell Jason that I need to speak to him whenever Franco is dealt with." Sam nods and watches as Lucky exit's the room.

* * *

Lulu was already tired of sitting in her hospital bed. Patrick wouldn't let her get up though. She had sent Lucky to sit with Dante until she was able to leave her room, she wasn't sure when that would be though.

"Don't you ever do that again." Maxi exclaimed as she walked through the hospital door to Lulu's bed carrying a bouquet of balloons.

"It's not like I planned on getting kidnapped Maxi, It just kind of happened." She said smiling at her friend. Maxi always had a way of making her smile. "Are the balloons for me?"

"No silly these are for Dominic." Lulu gave Maxi a quizzical look. Half the time Maxi couldn't stand Dante, and now she was buying him a bouquet of balloons. Maxi continued without explanation though. "For you I have a better gift. I got Robin to convince Patrick to let me roll you down to Dominic's room for a little bit."

"Maxi you're the best!" Lulu exclaimed.

"Yeah, yeah save the enthusiasm for your boyfriend."

"He's not my boy…" Lulu tried to correct, but Maxi knew the drill and cut in before Lulu could finish.

"Right, he just got put in a coma trying to save you, and took you to the opera, oh and let's not forget that he worried his ass off about you." Maxi told her. "But you aren't dating, or sleeping together for that fact. You really need to consummate, so that you will just admit you like him."

Lulu laughs at this. She highly doubts that consummation has anything to do with her liking Dante, but she is willing to drop it if it means that she can sit by Dante and get his ass to wake up.

* * *

Dante was lying in the hospital bed.

"_Dante, can you help me bring in the groceries?" Lulu says from the doorway. "I know the Yankee's are in the world cup and all, but I could really use some help."_

_Dante turns to see his wife. She has become even more beautiful than he ever thought possible since getting pregnant. "Yeah me and Morgan will be out in just a minute."_

"_Oh Morgan is here, I didn't see his car." _

"_Carly dropped him off to watch the game with me on her way to take Josslyn to ballet." Dante got up from the couch, motioning for Morgan to follow him. He had become a sort of big brother to Morgan after putting Sonny in prison. Morgan had been young enough to forgive. "It's Sonny's birthday you know, she wanted to make sure he was looked after."_

_Lulu nodded, Sonny was still a soar spot for her. It had taken months for them to get back to where they had been before he turned states evidence over. But with a lot of persistence he had won her heart over. "So how's my little baseball player doing."_

"_Mom says that Lulu is having a girl." Both Lulu and Dante laughed at him._

"_And why does she say that?" Lulu asked in a teasing voice. _

"_She said only a girl could eat as much as your baby does and not gain more than 20 lbs." Morgan says with a smile._

"_Well tell you're mom that if I have a girl she will be the first person I call." That makes it Morgan's turn to laugh._

"_You know she is going to fight both you're mom and Dante to get in that delivery room right?" It was so funny to watch Morgan with his cousin, he had treated her like he did Carly now that she was pregnant. But Dante always enjoyed seeing Lulu interact with her family. "Speaking of which she invited you guys to dinner tonight."_

"_I always love being summoned to dinner." Dante says with a twinge of annoyance. Morgan may have forgiven him, but Carly while civil had a hard time letting go of the past. "Especially by a woman who despises me."_

"_She doesn't despise you honey." Lulu says while kissing his cheek. "She just doesn't fall for your cheesy lines like me."_

"_I remember a time when you didn't think my lines were cheesy."_

"_I was young and naïve back then." Lulu retorts._

"_You're mom is coming too, Dante." Lulu smiles at me, knowing that Morgan's comment just won me over._

"_Fine but we leave after dessert."_

* * *

Lucky was pacing again. This time it was in Dante's room. "You know, I owe you my sisters life." Lucky say's more to himself than the sleeping Dante. Patrick had said that voices might help bring Dante back to consciousness so he was trying.

He didn't know what to say though. Dante had saved his little sister's life, he was indebted to him. "I am glad that my sister found you. She has this way of always finding the wrong guy, but you, you listen to her antics and don't push her." Lucky says with a smile.

"Though if you don't wake up I might have to kill you because, I don't know if Lulu can handle another heartbreak. Not when she just started to trust her feelings again."

Lucky hears a knock on the door and see's Olivia outside. "I just wanted to see how Mr. Pirelli was doing." She says in a soft voice.

"Of course come in." Lucky waves her in waiting for her to close the door behind her. "I know who he is Olivia, and I just want to say if there is anything you need just let me know."

Olivia's eyes don't. hide the shock she feels at Lucky's words. "Thank you Lucky, but you being here is putting his cover at risk, and trust me he needs no help with that."

Lucky lets out a small laugh. "Yeah, that's for sure. If anybody asks, I am here on Lulu's orders though."

"Of course how is your sister doing?"

"Stubborn as always." Lucky takes a deep breath. This is an awkward situation for them both. "You have a brave son Olivia."

"Yeah, too brave for his own good." Olivia says, and Lucky can tell by her tone that she isn't to happy about this situation. "You know if this wasn't one of the first girls he had ever shown interest in, I would wring his neck, I still might. The thing is though that I care for Lulu to and I am glad she is okay."

"Yeah well don't let him get too many ideas in his head, Lulu is still young." Lucky says, trying to lighten the mood.

"Lucky do you think if I had any control over Dante he would still be in Port Charles?"

"Good point."

Lulu rolled herself into the room at that point. Maxi had left her at the door, saying that she needed to call Spinelli and update him on things. Lulu had been easy to convince as she looked at the scene in the room. Maxi could be dense at times, but she doubted this scene would go over her head.

Lucky nodded when he saw Lulu enter. He knew that meant it was his time to go, and he was happy to oblige both women at that moment.

"Olivia, I'm so sorry."

"Don't Lulu. You didn't ask for this, none of us did."

"Yeah, but if I hadn't been kidnapped, he wouldn't have been there."

Olivia bowed her head at Lulu's statement. "True, but then the story would have been different. I have been the mother of a cop for seven years, and for seven years I have worried every time my phone rang I have been worried. Today it rang and it was a call that still left me hope."

"I can leave you alone, if you want." Lulu says in a whisper. Olivia doesn't move and Lulu takes that as her key to leave.

"No, stay. I don't know what damage has been done to his cover, me in here alone would cause too many questions right now."

Lulu nods, and watches as Olivia touches her son's face, she shouldn't be in there she knows that, but Olivia needed her to stay, and she would because she was sure that Dante needed his mother with him right now.

Olivia slowly turned around. Allowing Lulu to see the tears that had fallen down her cheeks. "I have to go Lulu, but will you call me if he wakes up?"

"Yes, of course." Lulu replied, taking Olivia's spot next to Dante's bed. She watched as Olivia left and she once again started to cry. This was after all her fault.

"Dante, Patrick says you can hear me, and I know I will never say any of this to you if you are awake, but thank you." Lulu shifts uncomfortably around, not knowing exactly what she is doing. But she grabs a chair in the corner, setting it next to the bed. She grabs Dante's hand before continuing. "This isn't the first time you saved me though, and I'm not talking about in the Zacharra basement. I had given up on love when I met you, but you never gave up on me. Even when I pushed you away, or told you that there was no chance, you would still come back the next day with some pick up line just to make me smile. That's why you have to wake up, because you made me fall for you, so you can't leave me. Not like this."

* * *

Lucky was sitting in the Cafeteria waiting for Jason, he had called wanting to talk and Jason had agreed to come. This wasn't exactly Lucky's idea of a social call but he knew it needed to be done.

When Jason walked in Lucky could see how broken he was, he had almost lost Sam, and Lucky couldn't even imagine Liz in this situation. He had tried to but the pain was too much to bare. Jason, his sworn enemy sat down across from him.

He couldn't hate Jason, as much as he had tried, there was no part of him that could hate the man who had given up his child in order to protect him. Lucky knew that he would one day lose his son to the secrets but right now he couldn't help but be glad that Jake was safe and not a target.

"How's Lulu?" Jason asks, breaking the silence between them.

"Coping, she has a few scrapes, but nothing major."

"That's good, look I'm sorry that she got dragged into this mess, if I had thought for one second that Franco would go this far."

Lucky lost patience at this point. "You knew he was unhinged, and Lulu is alright, the issue is you knew he was unhinged, and you didn't warn any of us outside of your circle. You left Elizabeth and Jake unaware of the danger that was surrounding them."

"I never thought it would go this far, do you honestly think I would have let them get dragged into this, that's why I didn't tell them, is because any contact could have made them a target."

"It didn't matter Jason, my sister isn't part of your inner circle and she still got strapped to a bomb last night." Lucky says with anger filling his voice. Jason had once again put his family in danger, and wanted to make it sound as if he was protecting them.

"What do you expect from me Lucky, I already walked away from my son, I can't do much else."

"I want you to give me a warning next time, so that I can protect my family, Elizabeth and Jake are just as important to me." Lucky had wavered in his anger as he saw the tears in Jason's eyes. Jason had never wanted his family in danger Lucky knew that, but these were the way things worked. "Keeping Jake safe only work's if you tell me the things I need to know."


	6. Arms of a Savior

A/N--So hear is chapter 6. I hope you enjoy, I will try and post one more chapter today if i get a few reviews. I want to be far enough ahead by tomorrow that i quit getting my ideas ruined by Guza, because in reality Guza screws up relationship too much...it makes me sad. Also here are some replies to your comments. As I promised to chapters ago there will be some Sam/Lulu in the next chapter because i saw some spoiler photos and became inspired.

**Ilooveyoou3--Yes i know that Cameron is Liz's son to. Lucky didn't mention him because Jake is always in more danger than cameron due to his relation to Jason, known or unknown.**

* * *

**Chapter 6-- Arms of a Savior**

Lulu laid her head on Dante's arm. Patrick had come in to check on him shortly after Olivia had left and Lulu insisted the Ivy be taken out of her arm. There was no way she would sit by Dante with a needle poking in and out of her every time she bent her arm the wrong way. Patrick had smiled at her, and removed the ivy telling Lulu that she could leave whenever she wanted, that he would have Lucky fill out the paperwork. Lulu had smiled knowing that she wasn't leaving Dante's side until he woke up.

Epiphany had tried to kick her out numerous times, finally giving up. Elizabeth had picked up Dante's room in an attempt to keep the peace as the night went on.

It had been a long night though, and Lulu knew she wouldn't be able to stay awake much longer. She gently moved Dante's arm and crawled into the hospital bed with him. She knew that even she couldn't fight Epiphany on this if she got caught, but she felt safest with him. After she had adjusted herself, she swore she felt his arm tighten around her. She closed her eyes, finally comfortable in the arms of her savior.

"So this is what a guy has to do to get you to spend the night?" Dante says in a groggy voice pulling Lulu from her dreams.

"How long have you been conscious?" Lulu asks, moving her head to look at him. She had thought it was a dream when she first heard his voice. She needed to see his face to believe.

"Long enough to know you snore." Leave it to Dante to think about trivial things when he had been unconscious for 12 hours. She couldn't even find it in her to be mad though, because he was alive, and awake, and smiling at her and that was all that mattered. "How long was I out?"

"about 12 hours I think." Lulu says. She can't take her eyes off of him, she is trying to memorize his face, because she is still afraid that she is just dreaming. "I should go get Patrick."

Lulu sits up to go get Dr. drake only to be pulled back down. Dante isn't letting her go anywhere after the 24 hours of hell he had been through trying to find her. He wanted her by his side, even if it meant holding her hostage himself. "They have these nice little buttons to call for help." Dante pointed to the red button on the side of his bed. Surprisingly she didn't fight him and nuzzled herself back into his side. He would have told her how much pain that was causing him, except the fact that her proximity to him was reminding him that she was really alive and safe.

Elizabeth entered the room to see what the nurses button had been pushed for. Lulu smiled to herself thinking that it had been to prevent another round with Epiphany. "So sleeping beauty finally woke up?" Elizabeth asks as she looked at the screen showing Dante's vitals. This was her job, and she loved it.

"What is it with your family and nicknames?" Dante asks with a smile, "can't anybody ever just be called by their name?"

Lulu shrugged when Liz gave her a questioning look. Explaining the officer joke was just more effort than she had in her plus, it involved telling his secret. "Well I'm sure Lucky will be happy to know that you are awake, he has taken refuge in the waiting room all night. I will give you two a few minutes before telling Patrick you are awake, but make your conversation quick, because he will need to do some tests.

Both Lulu and Dante nodded. Dante looked around, to make sure that they were once again alone before pulling Lulu into a kiss. The kiss quickly deepened, leaving them both breathing hard when they pulled away. "You know, I am really liking this you owing me your life thing." Dante says in between breaths. He really did which is why he didn't want Epiphany to come in and kill them.

"Then why did you stop."

"Well I have a Doctor coming in, and while I enjoy compromising your virtue very much he and your brother will both be in here shortly. You're brother also carries a gun, and I didn't save you just to get shot"

"You carry a gun too."

"Yes, but I happen to have this lovely gown on, and there is no gun near me." Lulu smiles at him, she knows he is right, Lucky might be okay with them being whatever they are, but that doesn't mean he is okay with them going at it on the hospital bed.

"You're right, I need to go home anyways."

"Okay but promise me no more field trips with serial killers?" Lulu looked at the smile on Dante's face, how had she ever resisted it before? How had she ever compared him to the likes of Johnny or Logan, yes they had both protected her, but neither had trusted her as fully as he does.

"I know dad, avoid dark alley's after dark, and make sure not to talk to the stranger handing out candy." Lulu said as she stood from the bed, Dante grabbed her hand, forcing her to turn back and face him.

"I'm serious, I don't want to lose you." Lulu nodded, somewhere along the way she had been consumed by Dante, she wasn't sure how that had happened, but she knew this time it didn't scare her.

Lulu headed down the corridor of the hospital, she wanted to tell Elizabeth goodbye, before heading home. She saw Epiphany at the nurses station, Epiphany pointed toward a door that was cracked open without even looking up.

Lulu headed to the door to say goodbye, only to be stopped by the sound of Nikolas's voice. "Elizabeth, I know that you love me to."

"I told you, you don't love me, I just make you feel close to Emily." She could tell by Li's voice that she had been crying. "We, you and me can never happen again. I love Lucky, I am marrying Lucky." Lulu felt her breath stop. This explained a lot. It explained Liz's lack of enthusiasm, Nik's moodiness, but how could this have happened. She watched as Nikolas moved in to kiss Liz, she wanted to scream at them to stop.

Nothing came out though, and she watched as the kiss between them deepened, this was not their first kiss. Elizabeth Webber, the woman who was supposed to marry her brother, was about to blow his world to pieces. Luke knew, it wasn't Ethan who had driven the rift between her oldest brother, and her father, it was the women who was supposed to be brining them all together. Lulu couldn't bring herself to say the words, but she knew that Lucky needed to know, and this time he needed to know before he married her.

* * *

* * *

Jason stood at the door watching her sleep, it had been so long since he had seen Sam in a hospital bed, it was the image that haunted his dreams. The last time they were truly okay, until now of course, he wouldn't make those mistakes again.

He turned to leave knowing that she needed her rest when her voice echoed in his head. "Jason?" It came off her tongue as a question, and he was once again reminded of the vulnerability that he often forgot she possessed.

"Hey." He said as he headed into the room, he could see the fear in her eyes, worrying that this scene would turn out to be the same as last. "I thought you were sleeping."

"I was but hospitals don't offer much in the way of comfort."

"Patrick said it would only be overnight, you will be out of here in the morning." Sam smiled a bit at that thought. She hated being cooped up like this, it wasn't who she was. That wasn't the problem though, she knew that Jason was blaming himself for his actions. She knew that he was still letting Franco get to him.

"Come sit down." She said motioning Jason to sit next to her on the bed. She still couldn't believe she was stuck in a hospital bed over night for a concussion. Then again her idea of taking it easy rarely fit into the hospitals.

Jason did as Sam asked, taking a seat on the small bed. There wasn't much room on it, but in reality he needed to be close to her, to know that his Sam was still there. Not the defeated Sam he had seen in the glass box.

"This isn't you're fault." she said placing a hand on his shoulder. "You didn't ask for this."

Jason placed his head in his hands, Sam had never been one to blame him, that's why he had loved her so much even in the beginning. "Yeah, but if you hadn't been important to me, you would have been safe."

Sam let Jason sit in silence for a moment as she contemplated a counterargument. "Let's face it Jason, I find myself in trouble, rather I am with you or not." She let out a soft laugh. "That happens when you don't follow the rules to the worlds standards."

Jason sat in the silence not knowing how to respond. It was true Sam tended to find herself in tight situations no matter who she was with. He also knew that she could take care of herself. Jason looked at Sam once again, this time noticing the sincerity in his eyes. "If anything had happened to you."

"Jason nothing happened to me that we didn't handle." Sam said encouragingly, she needed to reinforce that she was okay.

"I should have killed him." Sam knew where he was going with this, and she wasn't going to let him.

"You needed to make sure he was telling you the truth. That me and Lulu were really where he said we were." Jason sighs and Sam knows that for now she has won the fight, ask her how many more times they will have it and she has no clue.

* * *

"Yes Kate I will be sure to tell her." Lulu hears as she walks into the door of her apartment.

"What did the wicked witch want?" Lulu asks as she looks at Maxi.

"Well she wanted me to tell you that since you didn't mean to get kidnapped and leave her office unattended to, you're job is still safe."

"Wow, isn't that kind of her." Lulu says rolling her eyes. Of course news of her kidnapping had reached Kate. It was after all her cousin that had saved her and ended up in the hospital.

"She also said to take as much time off as needed."

"I was thinking I would go back today." Maxi finally turned around to look at her roommate.

"Are you sure? I mean I can handle the office on my own a few more days." Lulu gave Maxi a small smile. She knew what Maxi was doing and felt bad for her. Her kidnapping wasn't Maxi's fault anymore than it was Jason's. Franco wanted to torture Jason and he had. This would have fallen down on somebody.

"Maxi, I am fine. I just want to get back to work, and forget the past few days even happened." Maxi offers Lulu a small smile. "What?"

"Well I just want you to know how sorry I really am. I never meant for any of this."

"Maxi you didn't cause this, Franco manipulated you into sleeping with him, and stalked Jason for months."

"You guys all make it seem like I didn't have a choice in it though." They had been through this a million times and Lulu could feel the annoyance creep in as this topic came up once again.

"As I told you on New Years Eve Maxi, you are who you are, I accept you for it and so do Jason and Spinelli." Maxi's demeanor almost immediately changed, as she rushed over and pulled Lulu into a hug.

"Did I ever tell you how happy I am that we are friends. I don't know what I would have done if I had lost you." Lulu smiles at Maxi as she pushes her off.

"That's great but if you don't get off of me I can't get ready for work."

"Oh yeah right." Maxi says as she watches Lulu head into her room to shower and change.

* * *

* * *

Maxi stands at the door to Dante's room debating rather or not she should go in. It had never been a secret that Dominic wasn't her first choice for Lulu. In fact he originally wouldn't have even been her last, but he made Lulu happy and brought her back from a place that she herself had helped create. That had to count for something she thought to herself has she entered the room.

Dominic was very bruised and she again felt bad for her part in this. As much as they all tried to tell her it wasn't her fault deep down she felt it was. She had allowed herself to be manipulated, and it had been her that Franco wanted. She was the reason that Dominic sat there bruised up with two broken ribs. She had asked Robin, what was wrong with him before she came in, preparing herself for the worst especially since Lulu going to work so soon meant that something was wrong and she wasn't buying into the whole 'I wanted to forget routine.

"Well I definitely didn't expect a visit from you." Dante said as Maxi entered the room.

"Yeah, I didn't expect to be here either." Maxi was being truthful when she had left Lulu at the office she had just wanted to walk, to clear her head of the guilt she had felt since Lulu had been taken. The feeling of guilt was still new to her, and she had to say she didn't like it very much.

"Well now that we agree on something, what can I do for you?" Dante looked at Maxi, remembering what Jason had told him about being patient with her. Maxi would tell him her purpose on his own time.

Maxi smiled, raising her gaze from the floor for the first time since she entered. "Actually I came to thank you." She was being honest to. "For helping me and saving Lulu."

"I would have saved Lulu regardless of you." Dante said trying to be patient knowing that the petite blonde had more to say to him. "And I didn't think it was wise to leave you alone at Franco's place."

"Well whatever your reasons, thank you. I also wanted to ask you what your intentions are for Lulu." Her statement cause a laugh to escape Dante's lips. "I don't see why that's funny."

"Well first off I don't think I have had my intentions questioned since I was sixteen, and definitely not by a tiny blonde." Maxi scowled at him. "Also, I think I should discuss my relationship with Lulu, and let her decide what she wants to tell you."

Dante was impressed with Maxi, she honestly did care for Lulu. Under her selfish exterior at least. Once you got past the bravado he was sure she wasn't a half bad person, no Lulu, but must likely tolerable. He could see why she and Lulu were friends, they both seemed to be guarded. Both did it in different ways, and he was sure both had there reasons.

Maxi was disappointed by Dominic. She had hoped that he would be this jerk mobster that she could hate, but he respected her roommate more than any guy Lulu had ever known, let alone dated. The feeling confused her though, and she suddenly understood, he was her Spinelli. Dominic would stand by Lulu no matter what, like Spinelli did for her. That is why Maxi wasn't able to hate him like she had, she was happy that her friend had found a guy that cared.

"Before I go can I ask you something?" Maxi says letting her eyes refocus on the floor once again.

"If I say no are you going to anyways."

"Probably." Maxi replies honestly. "How did you get Mac's squad car?"

That was the 20 million dollar question. He hadn't expected it from her mouth, but he knew eventually somebody would ask. Dante sat still for a minute trying to think how to explain it. As far as he knew, nobody knew he was undercover yet. Well at least they hadn't confronted him.

"Luck I guess. Lucky had taken me to the PCPD to try and find Lulu, and when I got the call there was the suad car, keys in the ignition and ready to go."

"And my uncle isn't arresting you for theft why?" DAmn this girl was smarter than he had expected.

"I said one question not 20." Dante says hoping the blonde will get the point and leave, she had just given him an idea to keep his cover, at least he hoped his idea would work.


	7. The Truth vs The Lies

A/N--As i said last chapter I was trying to get far enough ahead that the GH scenes wouldn't affect me today. This definately is not my fav chapter but most of the stuff is needed. Also I will post again right after GH airs if i get 5 new comments. The song...I heard it on Pandora earlier...I have an obsession with the GooGooDolls and i couldn't help myself from putting it in. hope you enjoy  


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Chapter 7-- The truth vs. the Lies

Lulu sighed as she leaned back in the chair at her desk. Maxi had left her at the office to do yet again another cryptic errand. It was okay with Lulu though, she needed to be distracted. Except the fact that she was pretty sure Maxi had forwarded the office calls to her cell phone, because the phones weren't ringing, and the phones were never silent at crimson.

So she sat there doing what she had been trying to avoid doing. She was thinking about Liz, and Nik, and Lucky. She needed to talk to somebody but out of her friends she couldn't. Usually Lulu would call one of her brothers for advice like this, but now she couldn't and she hated the fact that she had more secrets in her life.

"I thought I might find you here." Sam said breaking into Lulu's thoughts. Lulu felt relief at the distraction.

"Hey, Sam. What brings you to see me?" Lulu looks at the Brunette, it seems like it was forever ago that she raced across New York with Jason to find Spinelli and save her.

"I just wanted to see how you were doing. You're not busy are you?" Lulu smiled at the older woman.

"No Maxi forwarded all the calls to her cell, so I am pretty much sitting here with my thoughts." Lulu says. "I meant to come see you at the hospital, but I didn't want to leave Dominic."

Sam looks at Lulu, they had never been close, but she had hated watching the younger girl fight against her restraints over a monitor, she had felt the need to protect Lulu even though she knew it was impossible. "So how are you doing?"

"physically I got the better end of the deal compared to Dominic." She says, referring to Dante's bruised body. "Emotionally I think death is the better option."

Sam let out a small chuckle. "I'm sure Sonny will send Milo to watch over you if you want."

"I'm not scared about Franco, I just have a lot on my mind." Lulu says, not knowing what else to say, but knowing she didn't want guards.

"Well do you need to talk about it. Jackal and McCall PI is shut down until Franco is caught I could use something to distract me." Lulu smiles, thinking about everything. Sam might be the perfect person to tell, and Lulu trusted her enough to keep a secret.

"You still care about my brother right?" Lulu asks causing Sam to give her a questioning look.

"Yeah, of course. I want to see him happy, the same as he wishes for me I'm sure."

"Okay then I need to tell you something."

Sam decides to take a seat at Maxi's desk based on the look that came across Lulu's face. She already got that this was about Lucky, and she didn't want to make Lulu hold whatever it was in. "Okay shoot, I doubt anything can shock me after the last couple days."

"Well when I left the hospital this morning, I saw Elizabeth and Nikolas." Lulu pauses when she see's Sam visibly take a deep breath. "You already know what I'm going to say." She says, feeling some relief that not only somebody else knew, but that s she hadn't had to say it.

"I didn't know it was still going on, Jason saw them kiss in the hospital, after the carnival."

"That's the day Lucky purposed." Lulu says in almost a whisper.

"Lulu, when she accepted Lucky's proposal, we thought she had made up her mind to be with him."

Tears were in Lulu's eyes, a part of her had been wishing that the kiss she had witnessed was just a one time error in judgment, that Elizabeth had been taken by surprise. She had wanted to believe that Liz would never pit her brother's against each other like that. She had been wrong though, this had been going on for months under Lucky's nose.

"I have to tell him then." Sam just nodded at the blonde. Nikolas was her cousin and she wanted him to be happy, but she had loved Lucky, he had been there for her, when she needed help putting her life back together. Lucky's life was about to fall apart, and she would be there, as a friend to help him pick up the pieces that were about to fall around him.

"Do you want me to be with you?" Sam asks, standing back up.

"No, I need to do this on my own." Lulu says watching Sam leave.

"Call me if you need anything Lulu."

Sam leaned against the elevator wall. Her and Liz had taken great strides towards being civil, and she hated to think how this would effect the boys. She knew Lulu was doing the right thing, but couldn't help feeling sorry for the fallout it would bring.

She wanted to call Jason, being in his arms would make this whole mess seem trivial, that she knew. How could she do that though, she couldn't face him and not tell him about Liz, yet she knew this wasn't her secret to tell. Besides Jason had much more important things to worry about right now, and she didn't want to distract him.

Sam sighed as the doors to the elevator opened. She needed to go home and sleep, with that in mind she didn't notice as she knocked into Johnny, dropping the contents of her purse on the floor. Johnny was rigid as her bent down to help her pick up the fallen items.

"Sorry, I didn't see you." Johnny fakes a smile and heads into the elevator that she had just occupied without saying a word.

Johnny was annoyed at seeing Sam, but he figured for 30 minutes he could at least be civil to the people in this annoying town he called home. He owed that much to Lulu. As he hit the button, he waited as patiently as he could. He had went to the hospital to see her, but she was gone. When he called Maxi she told him that Lulu was at Crimson.

He stepped out of the elevator watching the blonde look over some page layout that he was sure annoyed her. She had never wanted to take this job, it had been a way to get back at Maxi, but she had grown into the position.

"Hey." His voice was soft as he walked behind her, he didn't want to scare her.

"Hey." She says as she turns to look at him. "I didn't expect you to stop by."

"Believe it or not, I do still care." Johnny says as he pulls her out of her chair and into a hug.

"Well even so why are you here?" Lulu asks, pulling herself from Johnny's arms. She was glad that he still cared, just as she had when he had been shot, but she had enough on her plate already and people constantly checking on her was starting to get on her last nerves.

"I needed a break." Johnny answered looking at the girl he once loved. "I also had a few questions."

Lulu knew he had questions, a phone call to make sure she was alright would have been suffice enough for Johnny, but he wanted to make sure she didn't lie to him, and for that he needed to see her.

"What kind of questions?" Lulu asks, treading lightly not quite sure where this conversation was headed.

"About Franco." Lulu sighed, she knew that this was going to come up from somebody, she just didn't expect it to be him. "Not about you exactly though. He dug up Claudia's body."

Lulu closed her eyes for a moment. She had hated Claudia even before the truth of Michaels shooting had come out, and she hated her more when she had put Carly's life in danger. As much as she hated Claudia though, she had once loved Johnny, and she did understand the bonds of siblings. "I'm not sure I will be much help but what do you want to know?"

"Well did you see anything that could have housed a body while you were held hostage."

Lulu pushes the annoyance down as she thinks. "Really Johnny, I was Blindfolded until we got to the warehouse, and once he took the blindfold off I didn't look around to much, I was kind of focused on the fact that I was attached to a bomb." The words come out more bitter than she had intended, yet she was annoyed, not at Johnny but at the whole situation.

She suddenly understood a bit more how Dante felt. The violence never ended with them, even in death, people used your body to send a message, that was on the rare occasion that the deceased hadn't faked their death in order to gain some leverage. The business that Sonny and Johnny involved themselves in brought nothing but bloodshed, and maybe it was wrong to overlook that.

Lulu sighs, she knows this isn't anybodies fault. Franco is a mad man. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that. I honestly don't think I saw anything though."

Johnny's eyes are watering, and she wants to hold him, to tell him it will be okay, but that isn't her place anymore. "I should get going." Johnny says through gritted teeth.

"I really am sorry that I don't know more."

* * *

Dante had been happy when Maxi left him in peace. She had made him think though, eventually Sonny would have wondered the same thing, and at least now he would have a story. He was getting annoyed with all the lies though. Ronnie had been right to say that he was too involved with this town.

When he had went through training he had been warned that emotional attachment complicated things, and often ended up with the undercover cop getting themselves hurt or killed. He had known all of the rules when he got involved with the Zacharras. Sonny and Port Charles were different though. His mother was here, and she was too close to the situation.

Lulu hadn't been planned. She was supposed to be a one time thing, but something about the way she didn't fall for his lines, had made him continue to try. He wouldn't lie at first she was just another notch, something his mother would have bent him over a table for, but he was a guy.

Somewhere along the lines she had opened up to him though, and now he found himself risking a year and a half's worth of work to save her. He trusted her with his life, and he was pretty sure that somewhere inside her, she felt the same.

The trip to New York City had solidified his commitment to her, even thought they hadn't had sex, he knew he could never leave her side. Not after the vulnerability she had shown him, something that she didn't show. He could hear her voice in his head telling him she was a Spencer, and Spencer's didn't have time for emotions.

"I'm glad to see your okay." Jason said as he entered Dante's room, pulling him from his thoughts. This could be one of two scenario's, one being a check up, to go over details, two being his lasts breathes. He was definitely hoping it was one.

"Thanks, Sam's doing okay?" He has to tread lightly until he knows what the pretense of this visit are.

"She was released earlier today." Dante nods. Apparently Jason is just there out of kindness, so Dante relaxes a bit.

"And Franco?"

"I didn't have time to kill him, and now he is back in hiding."

"We will get him." In all honesty this was one murder Dante would look the other way on.

"Yeah, but when, when he makes his next move?"

"Spinelli can't find anything?" Jason looks at Dante, trying to decide what he can tell the younger man.

"Spinelli isn't supposed to be more than a roommate, anymore." Jason says and Dante can swear he hears regret in his voice. "Franco was trying to make a point that I was too dependant on Spinelli when he targeted Maxi."

"I can't picture you needing a roommate."

"I didn't want one. Spinelli was only supposed to stay a few weeks, but his loyalty came in handy and I took advantage of that for a long time." Jason say's honestly. "I'm going to need your help with Franco though. He said you weren't who I thought you were."

Dante's heart speeds up which he could hide if he wasn't hooked to ten different machines right now. "What did he mean by that?" Dante asks in attempt to play it cool.

Jason notice's the spike in Dante's heart rate but ignores it. "I don't know, this is all a game to me, he's trying to make me doubt those around me, and myself. He thinks if I give up on justification for my sins, I will embrace my true self, that I will become him."

Dante jumps a little when Jason's fist hit's the wall. It doesn't take long for somebody to come in and ask Jason to leave. Dante is relieved at the silence in the room. He closes his eyes wanting to relax.

Dante could feel her presence when she entered the room. "I was beginning to think that my mother didn't love me anymore."

"Your mother is trying to keep up appearances." Dante smirked at his mother, she worried way to much. "This isn't a funny moment."

"It kind of is." Dante tells her. "I have a plan and I have already talked to Mac about it."

"Do you care to fill me in?" Olivia asked with an obvious annoyance at her son. The best plan would be getting out of town, but they both knew that he wouldn't listen.

"Mac is going to arrest me." Olivia looked at her son in disbelief, this was his solution, getting arrested.

"And this helps how?"

"The only thing they really have that can link Dominic to Dante is that I had Mac's squad car, so I decided to have Mac arrest me when I am released from the hospital." Olivia still wasn't buying it. "This way you don't throw yourself in the middle of this, please just trust me."

Dante knows that if it comes out as a cop Olivia will get involved trying to save his life, and he doesn't want this, he will get himself out of this mess. Olivia nods at her son, knowing that there is nothing she can do right now, as long as his cover is still in tact she has to stand in the sidelines.

"That is fine, Mr. Pirelli, I hope you have a fast recovery." Olivia says before leaving her son's room. She had to trust that he knew what he was doing, that was all that she had left.

Dante sighed, he knew his mother was worried about his safety, but there wasn't much he could do. Not that he really would if he could, he had come to Port Charles for one reason, and it was to put Sonny Corintho's behind bars. He hated that his mother might get caught in the crosshairs of his lies though.

* * *

Lulu knocked softly on the hospital door. She had rushed from work to see Dante and it appeared that he was sleeping now. She was slightly annoyed, but fact when he smiled softly she opened the door.

"Out of all my visitors today you are by far the best." Dante says as she enters the room. Lulu can't help but smile at his cheesy lines.

"Who all visited?" Lulu asks curiously.

"My mother, Maxi, and Jason, as I said you're the best." Lulu frowns, his mother was obvious, but Maxi and Jason shocked her.

"What did Jason want?"

"Nothing much, I think Franco might know though."

Lulu could swear she felt her heart stop at that moment. She knew Franco knew who Dante was and hadn't told him because he was still in the hospital. "Franco does know."

"Wait what?"

"Franco called you Mr. Falconari when he had me hostage." Lulu is in tears now. She knew that Franco knew but had hoped he hadn't said anything to Jason or Sonny. "How do you know though?"

"He told Jason I wasn't who he thought I was." Dante says wishing he could leave his bed to comfort Lulu, who had yet to come close to him.

"I'm sorry I didn't warn you." Dante stands from his bed, pulling three machines with the scoop of his arm. If she wasn't coming to him, he would go to her.

"Hey now, why are you crying?"

"I should have warned you." Lulu says as Dante wraps her in a hug.

"It will be okay, Jason just thinks it is a game." Lulu wiped her tears away as she stood there.

"You shouldn't be up." Lulu says now looking at dante who is standing next to her. "You could hurt yourself."

Dante laughs at the woman standing next to him. She still has yet to realize that he would walk through fire to be with her. Dante suddenly has another idea. "I will lay back down on one condition." He pulls his phone from his pocket and puts a song on.

"What's that?" Lulu says with a confused look.

"Dance with me." Lulu smiles allowing Dante to take her in his arms. The lyrics start and she is speechless.

And I'd give up forever to touch you

'Cause I know that you feel me somehow

You're the closest to heaven that I'll ever be

And I don't want to go home right now

And all I can taste is this moment

And all I can breathe is your life

and sooner or later it's over

I just don't want to miss you tonight

And I don't want the world to see me

'Cause I don't think that they'd understand

When everything's made to be broken

I just want you to know who I am

And you can't fight the tears that ain't coming

Or the moment of truth in your lies

When everything feels like the movies

Yeah, you bleed just to know you're alive

And I don't want the world to see me

'Cause I don't think that they'd understand

When everything's made to be broken

I just want you to know who I am

"Goo Goo Doll's." She says when the song ends.

"I thought the song fit us." Dante tells her, allowing her to help him back to bed.

"It couldn't have been more perfect." Lulu gives him a small kiss and leaves the room. Dante smiles knowing that she completely understood the song.


	8. Building a Bridge

**A/N--This is another filler chapter to get what I want. next chapter actually get's to my point. Hope you enjoy PLEASE REVIEW  
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**Chapter 8--Building a Bridge**

"Lulu." Lucky said as he looked at his sister. "What are you doing here, I thought you would be with Dante."

Lulu pushed past her brother, "You should call him Dominic. Jason placed guards at your house, I'm sure they are at Liz's too." Lucky rolled his eye's that wasn't exactly what he had meant when he talked to Jason earlier.

"And on you?" Lucky asks in concern for his sisters safety.

"Milo is following me, and we have guard's posted at our apartment and Crimson. Maxi also has a guard until Dante comes back to relieve Milo from me."

"Dante is your guard?"

"Let's not talk about that, it's not why I am here." Lucky see's how serious his sister is and knows it can't be good.

"Why are you here?"

"I have something to tell you."

"What is it?" Lulu spot's a toy she gave Cameron for Christmas out of the corner of her eye, and automatically she feels a pain in her stomach. Maybe this wasn't her secret to tell. Then again if it has been going on for as long as Sam said it had, who else was going to tell him. Lulu was suddenly conflicted once again.

"Never mind." Lulu says, backing away from Lucky.

Lucky can see the conflict in his sister's eyes and gently grabs her arm. "Lulu what's going on, is Dan-Dominic okay?" Lulu nod's her head yes letting him know that Dante is still doing okay. "Then what is wrong?"

Lulu hesitates a minute, trying to make her voice as steady as she could. When she had decided to tell Lucky, she hadn't thought about how much it would hurt her to do it. "Lucky I saw Elizabeth today, with Nikolas."

"Okay, I don't get why that has you so upset, Liz and Nik spend time together all the time, you know this." Lucky says confused by what had Lulu so upset.

"No, no, they were together Lucky, kissing." Lulu watches as Lucky struggles to realize what his younger sister had just told him.

"No, you are mistaken, Liz and Nik, maybe you saw Nik with Rebecca." Lucky tries to justify, but Lulu can tell that he knows she isn't wrong. Lucky sits on the couch. "Are you sure?" His voice is small but Lulu answers with a nod. "How could Nik do this, and Elizabeth, we are supposed to be buying a house." Lulu sat down next to Lucky, pulling him into a hug.

"I'm sorry." She wasn't sure he heard her. She could tell he was numb, so she sat there holding her brother. She still wasn't sure how she felt about Nikolas, and luckily right now she had Lucky to focus on, and that was all that mattered.

* * *

Maxi smiled when she opened the door to see Spinelli. She had been hoping he would stop by ever since Lulu had left to see Lucky. She hated being alone with Franco on the loose. She was glad nobody had told Mac that she was the intended victim though, because she liked her freedom, and Mac knowing that would have caused her to be dragged back to his house for protection.

She looked at Spinelli. "Fair Maximista, I came to offer my comfort." Maxi looked at him weird.

"Did you call Anne?" Maxi asks, she knows this isn't the time, but looking at him makes the guilt overtake her once again.

"My dearest Maximista, I wish you to understand that I will never cheat on thee."

"Then how do we get past this?" Maxi asks in honesty. "Because maybe you don't hate me Spinelli, but I hate myself, and that won't go away until you hurt me back."

Spinelli looks at his non-wife for a moment and pain crosses his face, he wishes that he could stop the hurt that she feels. "Maximista I must insist that you stop blaming yourself." He hopes this will end the conversation.

"Spinelli the only way we can be okay is if you cheat, otherwise you will end up hating me."

"Hating you is not a task I could ever accomplish." Spinelli says while forcing Maxi to look at him. "For it is you that makes my day brighter."

Maxi smiles at her boyfriend, knowing that he is simply trying to make her feel better. "Spinelli, I don't see how that is possible after what I did."

"As I have said I have no Illusions of who you are, twas our destiny that I would get hurt, but I know thine heart, and that was always with me. As long as your heart is mine, I shall do nothing to harm it." Maxi hugs him. He always knew what to say even if she didn't deserve it.

"I don't deserve you Spinelli."

"I am afraid the wise Maximista is mistaken, for it is I, the Jackal, that is lucky to have found the compassion that is you." Maxi lets him pull her into a hug, and it does make her feel better. Maybe they will make it through this.

"Spinelli?" Maxi says not wanting to let go of her boyfriend but needing to talk once again. "Are we are going to be alright?"

"I have no doubt that as long as we work together our love will concur the world"

* * *

Jason smiled at the petite brunette standing at his door. "Did we have plans?"

"No, but I thought you could use some Chinese and a little distracting." Sam says while entering the room.

"Chinese huh?" Jason eyes the food that they once ate religiously. "Did you remember the egg rolls this time?"

Sam can't help but smile at the request, Chinese had been a last minute thought when she was headed over here, but as soon as she entered the restaurant they had once frequented she knew exactly what to order.

"Of course I did. I even got the sweet and sour sauce for you to dip." Sam say's as she spreads the contents of the plastic bag on the table. "The question now becomes, do we eat on the floor or couch?"

"I like the floor, there are some good memories down here." Jason says as he head to the kitchen.

Sam's smile fades for a moment. The past was something she tried not to look at, they had done so many selfish things to each other back then. She was surprised they had made it back to each other after all the turmoil they had caused, hell she was surprised they were both alive.

Jason returns with a bottle of tequila and some shot glasses. Sam's smile returns almost immediately, that was one memory she never wanted to forget. "We didn't get to toast the new year, I figured ten day's late is better than never."

Sam knew he was doing this to her, holidays had never held meaning to Jason. He went through the motions to make other people happy, but he never really enjoyed them. "What are we toasting to?" Sam picks up the shot glass and holds it waiting for him to tell her.

"To new beginnings." Sam again smiles. She like's that toast.

"And to our family and friends safety and happiness this year." Sam adds in as they clink glasses. Jason smiled to pulling the girl closer to him.

"I'm glad you're safe." Jason says into her hair.

"I'm glad you saved me."

Sam can't help but to remember though. She had to tell Jason about Liz, a topic that would dredge up memories, she herself wasn't sure she could handle. She hated who she had been back then.

"Jason, I need to tell you something." Jason squeezes Sam to let her know he is listening. "In the spirit of full disclosure, I went to see Lulu today." Jason turns to look at Sam, curious where she was going with this. "She was upset or angry I don't know which, but I asked her what was wrong." Sam pauses again to make sure she still has Jason's attention. "Lulu saw Nik and Elizabeth kissing. She is telling Lucky tonight." Jason inhales deeply, and Sam feels the tears forming in her eyes.

She had no illusions about his devotion to Liz. She after all did give Jason the heir that Sam never could. Mind you she took it away from him claiming Jake's safety, which Sam knew better than most was the truth. The life Jason led tended to fall back on the children, no matter how hard you tried to shield them.

Jason sees the tears in Sam's eyes and knows that she thinks this is about Liz. "Sam I'm purely worried for Jake." He say's trying to reassure her. Liz and him had been over for a long time, but he knew what drove Sam's insecurities and he understood.

* * *

Carly waited for Lulu to answer, she hated what she was about to do. The fact was she trusted Dominic to protect her son and she doubted he would leave her cousin's side now that she was safe. Which left one place for Michael to stay. "Has she answered yet?" Michael calls from the background.

"You've reached Lulu leave a message and I will get back to you." Carly is annoyed, she wants to talk to Lulu and Michael wants to go home. Carly leaves a message sending Michael a look as she does so.

This really isn't Carly's best idea and she knows that, but after three days of listening to her oldest son whine about being dragged to Australia, she had given in. She wouldn't let him Stay with Sonny but she would let him go home and start school with his friends.

Lulu checks her phone as she leaves Lucky's house. Seeing that Carly had called three times, she picks up and dials the number she knew so well. "Hey Carly, how is Australia?" She asks knowing all to well that Carly loved it.

"I called to ask a favor." Carly says into her phone. "Michael wants to go back to Port Charles."

Lulu listens trying to figure out where she fits into all of this. "Look I need somewhere for him to stay while Jax and I are here. I would ask the Quartermaines but he ended up running to Mexico last time he stayed with them."

"Carly I know what you getting at, but do you really think that I'm your best choice. I mean I don't know anything about taking care of teenagers." Lulu says as realization of what Carly wants hits her.

"Look I trust Dominic, and if he is with you Dominic will be around to watch out for him. I'm not asking you to baby-sit him, just let him stay on the couch till Franco is dealt with."

Lulu sighs , she knows that she will not win this so she agrees to let Michael stay. "Make sure he knows that he can't drink if he is going to stay with me."

"He knows, and Lulu thank you." Carly smiles as she hangs up the phone. At least her son would be protected with Dominic around, and she wasn't taking security off of her cousin.

"Michael get down here." Carly yells up the stairs at her son. Waiting for him to appear she begins. "There will be a few ground rules."

"Mom, I'm not a little kid anymore."

"Do you want to go?"

"Yes." Michael says looking at his mother. "What are the rules?"

"One, you call me every day. Two, no drinking at all. And three, If I get one call telling me you skipped school you are coming back here." Michael nods accepting his mother's rules.

Carly was sad to see her son leave, but knew that in order for him to trust her it was what needed to be done.


	9. A Night of Romance

A/N--PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE Review...I am happy with how this came out for the most part...hop you guys enjoy.

* * *

**Chapter 9--A Night of Romance**

"Dominic Pirelli, reporting for duty." Dante says as he sits down on the couch. He knew Maxi was in the room next to them so he kept his cover up.

"So which job are you here for Mr. Pirelli?" Lulu asks as she takes a seat next to him. Dante looks behind him towards Maxi's door, shooting her a look as he does so. "It's okay she is on the phone with Fredrico, talking about color swatches for a dress to next months show or something."

"So then we are practically alone?" Dante says kissing at Lulu's neck. Lulu moves out of Dante's reach, giving him a smile as she does so. This next thing she tells him isn't going to go over so well, and she knows it.

"Not exactly, I kind of need you to take me to the airport." Dante give's her a confused look. "Not for me. Carly let Michael come home, but he is staying with me, and she wants you to guard him to."

Dante let out a sigh. "Do I get a choice in this?" He asks pulling her back into him and placing a kiss on the top of her head.

"Well, you can say no, which brings down the wrath of Me Carly and Jax." Lulu say's knowing that she has won and he will protect them both.

"How long do we have before I become Dominic Pirelli permanently?" Dante hates this, when he was just guarding her she would be able to say his real name, but now he would constantly have his guard up, and he hated being that person with her.

"An hour or so. Michael is supposed to call when the plane is over New York."

"Well lets get going then." Lulu looked at him curiously. Dante just shook his head at her.

* * *

Dante liked Michael, he did. Too bad Michael didn't care for him quite as much, so when Lulu had told him that he was guarding both of them he had anticipated the problems that would arise. Still here he was, standing at the airport, waiting for the private Jet that was carrying the oldest Corintho's child. This was after all his Job.

With Lulu at his side he stood there waiting for the boy to peek through the crowd. That was his assignment, protect Lulu, he had expected a fight from her, but she had simply smiled and told him she understood. He had expected to be sleeping on the couch, but with Michael being added to that protection order he wasn't so sure where her would be resting. He did know that he wasn't leaving the Petite Blonde's side though.

Michael walked up to them when the Jet landed. "Dominic." His voice was full of disdain for the older man he was looking at. Dante nod's and turns, the three walk in silence to the car. Somewhere along the way Lulu slips her hand in Dante's. He is sure it is more for Michaels understanding than his own comfort. He cant help but love the way her hand feels in his though.

Dante waits for the two to get situated before pulling the black blazer out of the parking lot. The ride back to Lulu's is filled with the sound of Lulu explaining how she owes Dominic her life. Dante grimaces when she calls him that, he hates that his real name can't be the one passing through her lips. That his real persona can't be the one that saved her.

They arrive at the house, and Michael gets out, heading into the apartment building. "What's wrong? I didn't think that was so bad." Lulu says taking a hold of Dante's hand once again.

"I just wish that you could call me by my real name." Lulu sat next to him in silence. She knew what he meant, she hated calling him Dominic, but she also knew what it would mean for her family when that was no longer needed. That was something she didn't know how she would handle. Pushing it from her mind, she smiled at the man sitting next to her. The man who had saved her life. The only thing she did know, was that she wasn't ready for him to leave her.

"Officer, I think I can do that right now." Dante returned her smile.

"What did I tell you about that nickname."

"I was just proving a point that you would get you're moments when you could still be the person that I know you are." She released Dante's hand, and pulled him into a kiss. The kiss quickly deepened and they both felt themselves losing control of the situation.

"Lulu." Dante breathes into her ear as her hands fumble with his shirt.

"I'm sure" she says as she undoes his shirt. Moving herself to the backseat and pulling him with her as she does so. His foot hit's the stereo as he follow's her, and soft music fills the SUV.

"_Remember those walls I built _

_Well baby they're tumbling down _

_And they didn't even put up a fight _

_They didn't even make a sound _

_I found a way to let you in _

_But I never really had a doubt _

_Standing in the light of your halo _

_I got my angel now"_

Dante positions himself over Lulu, making sure to look her in the eyes as he pulls at the hem of her shirt. She raises her arms allowing him to pull it off easily.

Lulu was nervous. She had never taken sex lightly, it just wasn't something she could do. The thing was that she felt more sure about this time than she had anytime in her life. It surprised her that the back of an SUV was somehow romantic, but the intense gaze that Dante is giving her tells her that she will be okay.

"_Everywhere I'm looking now _

_I'm surrounded by your embrace _

_Baby I can see your halo _

_You know you're my saving grace _

_You're everything I need and more _

_It's written all over your face _

_Baby I can feel your halo _

_Pray it won't fade away"_

Lulu undoes Dante's pants removing them easily. She really did want this, she trusted him, which was something she didn't think would ever happen again. Lulu pulls him into a passionate kiss.

"_Hit me like a ray of sun _

_Burning through my darkest night _

_You're the only one that I want _

_Think I'm addicted to your light _

_I swore I'd never fall again _

_But this don't even feel like falling _

_Gravity can't forget _

_To pull me back to the ground again"_

When they were done Dante pulled Lulu back to him, a smile on his face. "That was amazing."

"Yes but my cousin is sitting upstairs, in my apartment, waiting for us." Lulu says pulling her pants back on.

Dante knows the look, it was exactly what he had worried about, Lulu was pulling back. He knew he should have waited. He hated that all of her guards had went back up, but he nodded, agreeing that they should get up to the Penthouse to be with Michael.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I wish we could stay like this." Sam says as she lays in Jason's bed. Jason smiles at the woman he would die for. "I know the feeling, I haven't felt this complete since you left." Sam sighs, pulling Jason, who had sat up, back down to her.

"How about we just lock ourselves in here and refuse to come out." Sam knows that once they leave this room all hope of distracting him is gone. That is one thing she had learned the first time around.

"I wish it were that simple." Jason didn't believe in wishing but this was definitely one thing that he would enjoy. "That doesn't take care of the Franco situation though." Sam sighs, she knows that he is right, but she had hoped to hold onto the moment just a bit longer.

"Well what exactly did he say to you before you left to save me? Maybe he left a clue."

"He said that for every person I killed he would kill one, and that Dominic wasn't who I thought he was"

"Jason, he's just trying to get to you."

"I don't know Sam, HE Should have been dead before this ever happened. You and Lulu almost died because he had me doubting myself." Sam knows that Jason is doubting himself. Suddenly the past comes running back to her.

"Do you remember when you first broke up with me?" Sam asks.

"Yeah it was after Manny Ruiz shot you on the balcony." Jason answers unsure of where she's going with this.

"You remember Manny then?" Jason nod's still confused.

"He did the same thing, he played games, had you doubting that you could protect those that you love." Sam says knowing that it was only half true. Manny had played the games with her, in order to get to Jason, but it was the same concept. "Jason, the truth is, you need to believe in what you do. You weren't Manny, and your not Franco. The thing that separates you from them is that you have a conscious."


	10. Confronting the Truth

**A/N--Is anybody even still reading this...I am almost to the end of Franco i think in two more chapters you will at least know whats going on...If anybody is still reading this please review. As always I hope you guys enjoy.**

* * *

**Chapter 10--Confronting the Truth**

Lucky stared at the bottle of bourbon sitting in front of him. It had been years since he had drank, yet tonight the urge was stronger than it ever had been. Elizabeth, his soul mate was having an affair with his brother. He should be furious, he had the right to be, but instead all he wanted to do was drown in the bottle that sat in front of him.

He sighed, this wasn't the way to handle things. So instead of taking the sip that his mouth yearned for, he stood up a emptied the contents of the bottle into his sink. He had been through this before, he was a survivor, he would confront his betrayers and then put this behind him. He had to because the pain that came with holding on would be to painful for him.

Lucky pulls his cell phone from his pocket, dialing a number he knows all to well. He tells Albert that he is stopping by and to give warning to Nikolas.

Ten minutes later Lucky stands on the launch waiting for the boat to Windemere to arrive. Once he steps onto the shuttle it doesn't take long for his mind to start wandering to how many times his fiancé has stood there waiting to see his brother. His brother, she had been the one to bring them together, make them friends. That was gone now, never again would he trust the two people who had been with him through it all.

It was over he knew that. Stepping off the shuttle, Lucky surveyed the island, nothing had changed yet a dark cloud hung over it now. Lucky took in a deep breath, this would be the last time he set foot here for a long time.

Albert let Lucky in taking sight of the heartbroken man, and offered him some coffee. Lucky wanted to laugh at the thought that coffee would help. He shook his head and Albert left him to wait for his brother alone. The word brother made him cringe, brothers didn't do this to each other.

"Albert said you wanted to see me?" Nikolas says as he enters the room.

"Yes, I wanted to ask you how you thought it was okay to have an affair with my fiancé?" Lucky reply's with anger. He had planned on playing this smooth, but the reality of it all had sunk in when he saw Nik.

"She told you?" Nik asks relief sinking in that his secret was finally out.

"No our sister did, remember her the girl who almost died, but that doesn't matter to you does it, because you were to busy betraying me to care that Lulu had been tied to a bomb, or that Dominic had been injured while saving her." Lucky was furious, he had expected Nikolas to deny the accusation. Instead Nikolas stood there quietly taking the words that were being thrown at him.

"It wasn't like that Lucky." Nik was calm, and that seemed to be more infuriating than a blatant denial would have been.

"Then why don't you tell me how it was Nikolas." Lucky spits out. "Tell me how it was to seduce the love of my life. Did you laugh at how unsuspecting I was?"

Nikolas started to pace, he had never meant to hurt his brother. Then again he never meant a lot of things these days. "Lucky I didn't mean to fall in love with Liz, it just happened."

Lucky almost choked on the words he had just heard. "Love Nikolas, you don't know what love is. You have locked yourself in this place for almost two years and you chose my fiancé, your past and future sister-in-law to fall in love with. You know my father was right you were always going to find a way to live up to your name. The thing that is different is I'm not giving up without a fight so if you want Elizabeth you better be ready to fight."

Lucky had had enough, he needed to get out of this place. The thought of what they had done, his fiancé and his brother was too much.

* * *

Lulu sighed as she heard Dante knock on her bedroom door, she knew he wasn't going to leave things alone, not with how abruptly she had left the car earlier in the evening. "Come in." She calls from her bed, there was no use in playing a game.

Dante entered the room cautiously. He wasn't sure where they stood after earlier. "I heard you crying. I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

"It's nothing." Lulu wiped her eyes, she had been trying to stay quiet, knowing that Michael and Dante were in the living room. "It's just been a rough couple of days."

Dante decides it is okay to move closer so he sit's on the end of the bed. "That it has." Dante says. "Why don't you tell me what's going on?"

"I don't even know where to start." Lulu states.

"The beginning is always good."

Lulu sighs once again, as she feels the tears running down her cheeks. "I'm trying to be positive, I lived, but every time I close my eyes I see that ticker, and having seconds left to live, I would have died if you hadn't saved me." She is sobbing again but she doesn't care she wants to get it out. "Then I see Nikolas and Liz kissing at the hospital, and you know what really sucks, he didn't even come to see that I was okay, he came to be with her, our brothers fiancé."

Dante moves closer to Lulu, pulling her into him. "And then there is you, you risked your life for me again, and I always give you grief about what you are doing, but Jason wasn't there to save me you were."

At that Dominic pulls back, making Lulu look him in the eyes. "Lulu, I don't know Nik or Elizabeth well enough to say anything about that, but I do know that if you had died nothing else would have mattered. Not my cover, or my case. If you had died I would have been lost."

Lulu shoots him a confused look. "I don't see why it matters, once you bust Sonny you will go back to Benson Hurst and I will be here."

Dante suddenly understood why she had closed up earlier. "I don't plan on leaving Port Charles, my mom is here, and so are you." Dante, hadn't really thought of what he would do once he busted Sonny, but in that moment he felt the urge to protect Lulu as he had when he rushed into the building just days earlier. He would stay for her.

"I'm not asking you to stay." Dante sighed once again this girl was unbelievable. Did she ever put herself before others?

"And I'm not staying because you asked. I'm staying because your safety means something to me, and I can't just walk away because Sonny is gone. Not when that can put you in worse danger." Lulu looked confused again.

"What do you mean worse danger?"

Dante didn't know how to say what he needed to say, but he knew he needed to try. "When Sonny is no longer around, you won't have his protection anymore, and whoever tries to take over his land has no loyalty to those who showed loyalty to Sonny."

"So your staying to keep me safe."

"No, I'm staying to be with you, keeping you safe is just something that comes along with that decision." Lulu smiles at him and he knew that things would be okay with her.

* * *

Franco looked out the window of his new apartment. He had expected Jason to come after him, yearned for it, and now it just seemed like a waste of time. Jason would never accept his destiny. He had held a hand out for Jason and all he had gotten in return was disappointment.

He didn't need Jason now though, he had a new idea. Somebody who still had the chance to be molded. The thought made him happy, he would have a companion when he was done, that was sure.

He is frustrated though, one of the few emotions that he ever actually felt. His art had been destroyed by Dominic Pirelli, or Dante Falconari, whatever you wanted to call him. Jason hadn't played by the rules and that still meant a penalty had to be given.

* * *

Michael got to school with just seconds before the bell rang. He hated not having his car, but understood that he was being punished. His father had told him to lay low, so that's what he was doing.

Right now school was the only thing he could stand anyways. With Dante watching over his every move at Lulu's it was his only point of escape. Though watching his sister throw herself at Keifer did get annoying, he was used to it by now.

Hearing the final bell ring Michael heads off to Chemistry. Kristina is in the class and he promptly takes a seat next to her. "Carly let you come home?" She whispers.

"Yeah, on the condition that I stayed with Lulu." Kristina raises an eyebrow to her brother. Lulu Spencer was barely an adult herself, and watching out for Michael very often turned into a physical altercation now days. "Don't look at me like that , dads thug of the month hardly leaves her side. Mom likes him so that was the option I was given."

"and how does dad feel about all of this?" Kristina asks a bit of anger lingering in her voice.

"He likes that I'm home."

"He would. The golden child can never be to far from his side." Kristina bites out, she couldn't help but be annoyed at the closeness her father felt to Michael, he wasn't even his real son after all.

"Cut the crap Kristina. You know dad cares about us the same." Michael says, warranting a bad look from the teacher.

"Yeah so much that he rushes to your's and Morgan's side at the sound of a bullet."

"It's not like that."

"Then what's it like Michael?" Kristina says not bothering to whisper anymore. She was tired of hearing that Sonny cared about them the same. Sonny had fought to be in Michael and Morgan's life while he simply took whatever her mother said at face value."

"Perhaps you two will be more comfortable in the principles office." The teacher says interrupting their conversation. Kristina packs her things without looking at Michael.

Once they enter the hallway Michael is at her side. "Kristina he loves you the same as he loves me and Morgan."

"Look Michael, it doesn't matter our father isn't worth my time." Kristina admits, dropping her head as she does so.

"You are letting Alexis brainwash you." Michael hates when his sister gets like this.

"You sound just like him you know that. You think that because of who he is we are entitled to things, but guess what Michael we aren't. We don't get to run people off the road, or runaway to Mexico, or drink and drive and get away with it. Just because dad has influence doesn't mean that he cares about us and it doesn't make it right." Kristina is in tears by now, and while Michael feels the urge to protect her he also feels the need to defend his father.

"You didn't mind when Alexis took the blame for you, but when dad helps me out of a mess that's the wrong thing to do?" He asks his sister.

"When it reaffirms your want to be him, yes it is."

"You know what Kristina, I am tired of this whole holier than thou attitude. You find ways to twist the truth into fitting what you think is right and wrong, but guess what that doesn't always work."

"It's easy to defend dad when its not your family being tied to bombs by some psycho who has a crush on Jason."

"Really cause I'm pretty sure my mother was the original target, and that my cousin ended up getting taken hostage to, and Sam chose the life that she has with Jason."

"So did you're mother at one point, don't forget that." Kristina cries out.

Michael walks off leaving his sister in tears. He didn't have to listen to this anymore.


	11. Who are you?

OKay so here it is, this chapter took me a while to write because fridays episode left me with no inspiration....minus the fact that I hope Lucky rips into both of them. PLease review if you read this, it only takes a few minute to do and i really enjoy reading them. Anyways here is the next chapter.

* * *

**Chapter 11-- Who are You?**

Franco smiles as he see's Michael walking off the school grounds. Soon he will be away from the guards, and then it is as easy as knowing how to talk to him. He honestly was surprised that Michael had returned to the states so soon.

He follows closely behind the boy, wondering how observant the boy really is. He assumes that Michaels instincts are as good as those he is constantly surrounded by, but you can never be to careful. He is right though, because as soon as he is in the woods Michael stops walking. "Dominic is that you?" He says as he looks around. "You are supposed to be with Lulu while I am at school."

Franco figures it's best to show himself. He had studied Michael long enough to know that he wouldn't run in fear. If anything he would challenge Franco and that thought was exciting in itself. "No, it's just me, hasn't your mother warned you about the woods."

"My mother warns me about a lot of things, it doesn't mean I listen." Michael says, not breaking his eye contact with Franco. "Who are you?"

"A friend." Michael knows the man is lying, but figures if the man was going to make a move he would have done so already. Franco Luckily knows better than to show all your cards at once.

"And you are following me why?" Michael asks. "You do know who my father is right? He has had men killed for less."

"I am well aware of who your father is, as I said I'm a friend." Michael doubted the man standing in front of him, but played along anyways.

"Well why don't you tell me who you are then?" Michael wanted to know who this man was, though he was sure he already knew.

"Franco, but you had already figured that out hadn't you?" Franco smirks at the young boy in front of him, a much better competitor than Jason had been.

"I thought you might have been yes, but you haven't tried to take me or threatened me with Claudia's so what do you want?" He was amazed at how at ease he was with the older man, for months he had struggled to suppress his anger around people, and here he was with a guy who had tormented his family and he felt nothing.

"Just to meet you." Franco says, he can tell that he has gotten to Michael already, the boy isn't fighting him, he had indeed been wrong when he thought of Jason as his equal. "I don't intend on hurting you. I just wanted to know the man who shared my passion."

"Shared your passion?" Michael asks suddenly thinking that he should probably get out.

"Yes, you aren't as aware of it as I am, which is fine it just takes time."

"Look, I have to go. You should probably get going to Jason and Dominic will be looking for me soon. The school will call and tell them I skipped." Michael says as he backs away, part of him is actually intrigued by Franco though.

"Yes, Jason isn't my biggest fan, I will see you soon though." Franco turned and walked away. Michael was the one, why hadn't he seen it earlier?

Michael watched the man as he left, he knew that he should call Jason, but something inside him knew that Franco was right about him, they were the same in some twisted way. He had thought he shared that connection with Jason when he woke up, but he had been wrong.

* * *

Dante sat in the hospital. A body had been found at the factory where Lulu had been. He wanted to know whose it was but the doctors that had worked on the body would only talk to Dante the cop. Which they didn't know he was. He wished his life hadn't become so complicated.

He hated what he was putting Lulu and his mother through with his double life. He hated that his mother was so involved .to begin with. He wished she would go back to Benson Hearst. He knew he would never convince her of that though, he after all got his stubbornness from her.

Then there was Lulu who had grown up in a town where Sonny was royalty. She had never had a chance to look at him in a negative light. It would hurt her and her family a lot to see sonny behind bars. Ronnie had warned him about the disaster that came with allowing people to get close to you a million times, and now here he was doing just that.

Dante was tired, and wanted this all to be over, that was no secret, he hated what he was doing and who he was becoming. He hated having to watch his back at every moment. The only time he felt safe anymore was with Lulu, and he had almost lost her to Franco. Maybe sonny was right, Franco deserved to be framed with Claudia's murder.

Dante sighed as he sat in the hall, he pulled out his phone and dialed the only number he could think of, Johnny Zacharra. Maybe seeing him would bring the reality back to them. Johnny informed him that he was at his mom's apartment and Dante was on his way.

When he got to the apartment Johnny had left the door unlocked. He was so appreciative of Johnny's concern for his mothers safety, that he wanted to deck the guy who had once considered him a friend. He would bight his tongue though, Things were rocky enough without a fight with his mother and her boy toy.

"You said you needed to talk." Johnny says as Dante makes himself comfortable. "So what do you want.

Dante looked around the room uneasily, it should be him staying with his mother, not some low bit mob prince. "Sonny wants to pin your sisters murder on Franco." The words were easier to say than he thought, though by saying them to Johnny he was betraying both jobs.

"That arrogant asshole." Johnny was seething and Dante could see through his thin attempt at keeping his cool. "That's the world of Sonny Corintho's though, something gets in your way you find a way to make it disappear. Hell I would have been gone years ago if he had his way."

"Johnny." Dante says trying to draw the now ranting mans attention back to him. "I think I might have a plan of my own, but I need your help."

"And I would help you why?" Johnny asks. "You plan on using my sisters body the same as Sonny, Jason, and that sicko Franco."

"I'm trying to bring her justice."

"For your own benefit though." Dante is highly annoyed by the mans constant jabs at him. He didn't want Claudia dead anymore than he wanted her alive, yeah it made his life easier now but he still wouldn't have wished her dead, maybe a straight jacket and a trip to the loony bin, but never dead.

"Look, you have no reason to trust me, I get that, but we both want the same thing and that is Sonny away from my mother, and behind bars, right?" Dante's words seem to calm Johnny.

"What do you have in mind?" Dante quickly tells Johnny his idea, and leave the last thing he needs is to have a run in with his mother.

* * *

Lulu sat in the office listening to Maxi talk about the newest spring line that they would be previewing in the next issue of Crimson. She knew she should have taken time off, but work seemed to keep her busy enough to distract herself from the danger that she had been in and the danger Dante was putting himself it.

Yes, for some reason Dante Falconari was constantly on her mind lately, and his safety had become more important to her than it should be. She sighed, tuning back into Maxi's ramblings, so much had happened in the last week, and sometimes it felt like her whole world was caving in around her. "Well what do you think?" Maxi asks.

"About?" Lulu asks, wishing she had been paying better attention.

"About using Fredrico's spring line for the feature article?" Maxi answers clearly annoyed at the lack of attention coming from Lulu.

"Maxi, isn't that you're choice as the junior editor?"

"Yes, but I want your opinion." Lulu looks at her friend, it's not often that Maxi asks for help when it comes to work. This is after all her dream. "Lulu, are you even listening to me?"

"Yes, Maxi I'm listening."

"Well it sure doesn't seem like it."

"Sorry, I just have a lot on my mind." Lulu says, trying to devote her attention back to Maxi. That is after all why she had come back to work so soon.

"Anything I can help with?" Maxi asks, suddenly becoming sympathetic to her friend.

"Unless you want to take a blowtorch to your own life and let me watch, probably not." Lulu muses.

"Been there, you had a front row seat, and didn't help me one bit remember." Maxi replies, referring to her all but forgotten indiscretion with Franco.

"That's not true I told you to tell Spinelli the truth, because he loves you."

"Yeah but you didn't tell him to cheat on me, which is what we need to be able to get over it."

"Maxi…" Lulu says, they had been having this discussion way to often, but it was better than being in her own head, so Lulu went ahead and allowed the can of worms to be opened. "I have said this a hundred times, all you are doing is pushing Spinelli away by carrying on with this crazy notion that he should repay you by cheating. Spinelli doesn't want retribution, he loves you, and the sooner you realize that the better off we will all be."

"I know Spinelli loves me. I just think that it is best if we are on an even playing field." Lulu rolls her eyes at Maxi, they had been over this a million times, and still Maxi didn't get it.

"Maxi, this isn't a game, and fighting fire with fire will only get you burned in the end, so let Spinelli get past this however he see's fit and move on."

"See that's what I'm talking about, you aren't helping." Maxi says while reviewing the layout in front of her.

"I'm not going to agree with you on this. Cheating hurts everyone in the end, and I don't feel like being in the middle of it again." Maxi catches the comment and without hesitation questions her friend.

"Again? Lulu, what's going on that you haven't told me?" Lulu puts her head down. Everything would be out in the open soon enough, that's how this town works after all. The display of every bodies dirty secrets was something you learned to live with in Port Charles, and Spencer's weren't exempt from that curse.

"Fine, Elizabeth and Nikolas are having an affair."

"Once a slut, always a slut." Maxi says while picking up the papers that she dropped on the floor when she heard Lulu's confession. "How's Lucky taking it?"

"I don't know, and I hate being in the middle of it all." Lulu admits. "On one hand I hate Elizabeth for what she is doing my brothers, and I know that Nik is to blame to, but he is still my brother. Then there is Lucky, whom I love to death, and I can't imagine the hell he is in right now. It's like no matter which one I choose I'm choosing the wrong one, and I shouldn't have to choose, but I know I do, I just don't get how they could do this to Lucky."

Maxi rushes to Lulu, pulling her into a hug. "I'm sorry, Lulu. Did you confront Elizabeth?" Maxi couldn't lie, she loved having another member in the Elizabeth hate club, especially her best friend. She did however hate that Lulu was upset about it. "How did you find out?"

"I saw them when I was leaving the hospital after Dominic woke up." Lulu says half-heartedly.

* * *

"How could you?" Lucky yells as he looks at Elizabeth. "He is my brother." He had wanted to fight for her, but seeing the look on her face when she came home had made it painfully clear to Lucky that she was no longer his to fight for.

"Lucky, I-" Elizabeth tries to say.

"You what Liz? You wanted to tell me, but didn't want to hurt me. Or let me guess you were confused. See I have heard it all before, from your lips actually." Lucky continues to pace the living room while Liz sinks into the couch wiping the tears from her face. She hadn't wanted Lucky to find out like this, she hadn't wanted him to find out at all in reality.

"Lucky, I love you." Liz says, trying to convince herself more than him, she was about to lose it all and she needed to be strong.

Lucky is surprised at how sick those three words make him coming from the woman he had loved his whole life. "Love, you don't love me, if you did you wouldn't be cheating on me with my brother. What Jason Morgan wasn't free so you decided to throw everything we built together away with the one person I trusted most."

"It wasn't like that. I didn't mean to fall in love with Nik, it just happened." Lucky looked at the woman standing in front of him, this wasn't the woman he had loved half his life, not anymore.

"So you love him?" His voice came out in a whisper. "You love my brother."

"Yes, no, I don't know." Elizabeth was defeated she just wanted what was best for her boys, and now it was ruined. "Lucky this whole situation is complicated."

Again the anger rose in Lucky's body, he wasn't going to feel sorry for her, she wasn't the victim in all of this. "So what now? Are you going to ride off into the sunset with Nikolas and our boys, so that he can raise them for me? Am I not a good enough father for you either because obviously I'm not a good enough husband to be with you. Please just be honest with me, because honestly the lies and excuses you make in order to feel better about yourself are becoming all to transparent as you sit here trying to tell me you love me and him and its complicated. Guess what this complicated situation is completely on you Liz."

Elizabeth sat on the couch sobbing. There was nothing more that she could do or say, she had single handedly made the decisions that had led them to where they are. She wanted to comfort him, but was afraid of the reaction he would have. She had never hurt him this bad before.

As she stood up to leave she whispered a soft apology, this would quite possibly be the last time she stepped foot in this house.


	12. unwanted truths

_So here is the next installment, it's not my fav chapter but it holds its purpose...The next chapter is almost finished, so i should be able to post it once i get to 35 reviews...if that happens...Next chapter Sonny finds out, and michael gets his revenge...._

* * *

**Chapter 12--Unwanted truths**

Michael killed Claudia. Dante almost couldn't believe what he was hearing as he listened to father and son converse over the late Zacharra's dead body. This meant that Claudia had no ability to bring Sonny down. He couldn't lay that guilt on a kid. Dante was back at square one.

He sighed as he walked into Crimson to see his cousin. He hated being summoned, yet every person in town seemed to find him to be the person to summon. Never mind the fact that any of these people could blow his cover at any minute. At least he would be able to see Lulu for a moment before answering his cousins beckoned call.

"Hey" Lulu said with a smile on her face as he walked behind her. "Kate said you would be stopping in for a meeting, do you really think that is wise?"

Dante couldn't help but smile back at her, he loved the fact that she had come to grips with what his life involved. "No, but I learned in the few times I have spoken to her that it is easier to appease her, than ignore her."

"True, I could have told you that." Dante watches as Lulu stands up and walks into Kate's office. He really didn't know what he would have done if she hadn't found out who he really was. He liked that she knew the real him, it was refreshing to not have to lie to somebody who wasn't his mother. "You can go in." Lulu says while returning to her desk.

"Dante." Kate greeted as he walked into the office. "I must say this talk is long over due."

"I doubt this will be much of a talk Connie. I know that you are trying to get me to drop the case, but that isn't going to happen."

"Dante, you will understand once I tell you." Kate said, Dante could see that she was nervous about what she was about to say. "There is a reason that is beyond you're job, or even me and your mother that will prevent you from ever taking Sonny Corintho's down."

Dante was getting annoyed with his cousin. She needed to just spit it out. "Look my mother has been trying to get me to abandon this case for months and if she hasn't told me this significant reason, maybe you should do us all a favor and let it go. Sonny behind bars is what is best for this town." Dante wasn't sure even he believed that anymore. He had said it so many times but now he had begun to hear Lucky's voice in his head telling him that sonny was the lesser of the evils they could have.

"Dante." Kate said in a soothing voice. "Your mother will kill me when she finds out what I am doing, but it's important you go into this knowing everything."

"If my mother doesn't want me to know maybe you shouldn't tell me." Dante interjected, getting more and more annoyed with Kate by the second. "Look you and my mother have a relationship that I will never understand, but either way maybe you should just but out if this is something she should be telling me."

"She will wait till it is too late." Dante gets up to leave, he has had enough of his long lost cousin. "Dante wait." Kate's voice never raises yet he can hear the message in her tone. Whatever she has to say is important. Sonny Corintho's, the man you are plotting to take down is your father."

Dante froze at the door, not sure that he had heard her correctly. "You're mother didn't sleep around when she was 16, there was only Sonny."

"No, I found my father a long time ago, her friends told me who she hung out with, his kids could have been my siblings." Dante knew she wasn't lying, he didn't know cousin Connie well, but suddenly things became all to clear to him. His mother had wanted him to leave town, because she was protecting her secret. She was always protecting her secret.

* * *

Lulu watched as Dante left the office. Something was wrong, he didn't even stop to say goodbye, she quickly dialed the number for Olivia. She needed a warning that Kate had spoken to Dante, and that something was wrong. When Olivia didn't answer Lulu began to panic.

She couldn't leave though, Maxi was in the city for the day, so she was stuck managing phones. Once more she tried Olivia, still nothing. "Kate I'm going to find Domin--Dante." She said as she took her coat from a hanger. Right now her job didn't matter she wanted to find Dante and figure out what was wrong.

Kate Didn't fight Lulu, she knew her cousin probably felt betrayed, and Lulu might be the only person to pick up the pieces of the world she had shattered. "Send both voicemails to my office. Lulu, He won't be with Olivia right now."

Lulu nodded and headed out the door. She needed to find Dante and fast, she was worried about him, she had never seen him look that angry before, even when he talked of avenging Mr. Polletti.

When she exited the Metro court, Lulu headed straight to the docks, Dante always seemed to go there when he was trying to think. She saw him as soon as she approached the docks. "You know, I'm beginning to think I should have gotten you a ball and bat for Christmas."

Dante offered her a small smile. "I thought you were working?" Dante wadded up a piece of paper and threw it in the air hitting it with the stick as it came back down.

"I was worried, Kate let me come find you."

"How nice of her, considering." Lulu watched Dante carefully, trying to find some sign of what was wrong.

"Dante." Her voice was patient as she took the makeshift bat from his hand. "What happened?"

Dante drew in a deep breath, he didn't even know where to begin with this. "Sonny, I can't take him down."

"Why not, what did Kate say?" She knew something bad had happened because Dante looked defeated. She followed him as he walked to the edge of the dock and sat down.

"My mother wasn't promiscuous. There was only one man she had slept with." Lulu was confused by what Dante was telling her, but she sat in silence waiting for him to continue. "My dad is Sonny."

Silence filled the air after Dante's confession. Lulu didn't know what to say, she had only had to imagine the feeling of finding a parent you didn't know about. That's how she had found her newest brother. This was different though, Dante hated Sonny.

Dante sighed, taking down Sonny meant he would be betraying a family he had never known was his. Suddenly Morgan's opinion mattered as well as Michael's and Kristina's. He would be taking away a father he had never known, but whom he knew loved his kids more than life itself. This had just become a lot more complicated than it already was.

* * *

Franco smiled as he saw the boy approaching his building. It had been too easy to convince Michael to trust him. The game was part of the fun, but Michael hadn't needed games, he came on his own will. Franco would adapt though, just as he always did, and the games would come later.

"I need you're help getting Dominic out of the picture." Michael said as he walked through the door.

Franco smiled at Michael. Maybe the games would come sooner than he thought, and his unknown half brother would make the perfect collaboration. A bonding of their talents. "and what bring this on?" Franco didn't need to question it, he knew that all about Dominic Pirelli. In all honesty, he wanted to see what Michael knew.

"My father wants to give him the organization. And nobody seems to care but me." Michael said with anger creeping into his voice. He hadn't like Dante from moment one, but he had never expected his father to offer the business to a stranger.

Franco let a small smile cross his lips, he would wait to tell Michael who Dominic really was. He would wait till the moment was right, for now he would help the young man standing before him, plan a masterpiece.

* * *

Kate had always thought the truth would set them all free. She hadn't thought of how her cousins would be effected. Now as she sat listening to Olivia, she reconsidered her position on that. "Olivia, I did what was best, if you waited any longer it would have been bad news for everybody involved."

"That was my decision to make, this could have went down without a hitch. It was possible that the truth would never have come out." Kate shook her head at her cousin, she knew the truth would come out. It always did.

"And what about when Dante's secret came out, were you just going to wait until he was dead. Too many people know who he really is for it to be kept in the dark much longer."

"It still wasn't your place to tell my son." Olivia yelled at her cousin.

"Don't yell at me in my own office. I did what was best, and hopefully got your son out of town before the truth came out about why he was here."

"My son won't leave because of this and you know it." Olivia was furious with her cousin. "And now I have to tell Sonny that he has a son he never knew about."

* * *

**Chapter 13**


	13. The truth and delusion

**Chapter 13--The Truth, and Delusion**

Dante stood alone on the docks. His whole life was falling around him, and for what, for his mother to remain in pristine form. He hated her more than he had ever thought possible. She had lied to him from the moment he was born, she had allowed him to get close to his family, his father, knowing his agenda and never warned him what he was doing.

He should have known that it was more than just worry for his safety that crossed her mind. She had seen him undercover a million times, but he had pushed her worry from his mind as her being too involved. But that wasn't the case, and now he understood. His mother was afraid her secrets would come out.

Dante was a cop, he knew all about secrets and protecting them with your life, but he couldn't sympathize with her this time.

"Your almost to easy to find officer Falconari." The voice startled Dante, he had thought he was alone out here, and the name that was used made him turn around.

"Franco." Dante looked the man up and down, another man he hated with a passion. "I should arrest you right now."

"And blow your cover, I think not." Franco taunted as he approached Dante.

"It's not like my cover matters anymore." Dante said in defeat. He didn't care at that moment that the man standing next to him was a serial killer, he just wanted to be alone.

"Oh, but you would be dead without it, would you not? Or did you're mom finally tell you the ace up her sleeve?" Dante's heart almost stopped. He wanted to know how Franco knew who he was, but the mention of his mother sent a jolt of anger through him.

"You stay away from my mother."

"That can be done, if you come with me." Dante looked at the man in shock. This guy really was as crazy as he seemed.

"And why would I do that?" Dante asked.

"Because if not ill bring your mother, or maybe that blonde you're so fond of, Lulu right? Now she is a fun one, and she is a quick thinker to. Yeah I suppose I could use her again. Then again you could come because you are supposed to be guarding Michael Corintho's JR. are you not, and well he is less than protected right now. So we can do this the hard way, or I can systematically take the people from you that matter until you have nobody left and are forced to find me." Franco mused knowing that Dominic would give in, that's who he was.

* * *

Olivia stood in the living room of Sonny's house. She knew the truth needed to come from her mouth, yet a piece of her felt like the scared 16 year old from Benson Hearst

Again.

She watched as Sonny walked in and the panic began to take over. "To what do I owe this visit?"

"I need to talk to you."

"As obvious by the fact that you are standing in my living room." Sonny said while waving his hand at the sight before him. "So what do you want, I have things to do."

Olivia winced at the coldness in Sonny's voice. "If this is a bad time I…"

"No, it is obviously important if you let yourself in." Olivia sighed no knowing where to start. Sonny would never forgive her for this. She wasn't sure her son would either.

"You understand the need to do anything at any cost to protect your children better than most people." Sonny nods, looking at Olivia with confusion in his eyes. "When I got pregnant that's what I did."

"And from what you have told me, Dante is a great guy." Olivia shifted uncomfortably as Sonny looked at her. How was she supposed to tell him that Dante was his son. "I don't get what your saying here, or what the relevance is to me Olivia."

"Can you please just shut your mouth for five minutes and let me talk." Olivia snapped back. This wasn't an easy subject to discuss, after 25 years of keeping the secret, but it didn't much make a difference anymore. "Dante, my son, he's a cop, and he was in town before I even knew it. Actually he was in your organization before I knew it, and I begged him to leave a million times, but he is stubborn and refused, he was here to take you down." Olivia was crying at this point. She knew once she revealed who Dominic was she would have to come out with the one truth she wasn't ready to reveal.

"Look, Sonny I had to keep his secret from you because he was my son, but I tried my hardest to get him to leave town and go back to Benson Hearst." She watched as Sonny started to realize what he was being told.

"You mean to tell me I have an undercover in this organization and you didn't tell me. He was your son, I wouldn't have hurt him." Sonny said, "Wait a minute, Dominic Pirelli, would be Dante Falconari the cop."

Olivia sighed as she watched Sonny put two and two together. He was furious, and it would only get worse. "How much does he have against me?" Sonny's voice is cold and Olivia can't help but become scared of his reaction to what she says next.

"They are getting a warrant as we speak, a couple of days at most." Olivia said, avoiding Sonny's gaze at all costs. "There is more though."

Sonny sighed, this was not the kind of news he needed, Carly would be calling in less than an hour, and he hadn't seen Michael since yesterday. Lulu didn't seem to know where he was either, all that they could hope was that he was with Dante. Dante, the man who had been working against him for moths, who Michael had been so blinded by hatred for that he had almost let his secret slip. Dante the cop, Michael could very well put himself in jeopardy.

"I don't think you can tell me much more, and don't worry about you're son, I won't make a move against him, but right now I need to start damage control." Olivia becomes furious at Sonny's dismissal, when she obviously wasn't done talking.

"Sonny, just shut up, that isn't why I came here. I am here to tell you that Dante is your son." Sonny stood there for a moment, now sure how to process what Olivia had told him.

"My son?" Sonny said while shaking his head. "Dante is my son?" The disbelief started to leave his body as the reality set in. He had a son with Olivia, she had betrayed him on a level only one other person ever had.

"Sonny, I was 16 I did what I thought was best."

"And, you didn't think to tell me when he came to town, or how about when he infiltrated my business."

"I never thought it would get this far, he was taken off at one point, but then Jax…" Olivia stopped, realizing the mistake she had just made.

"Then Jax what?" Sonny asked, annoyance taking over for his anger. "What did Jax do?"

Olivia sighed, there was no chance in hiding his part in this now, and why should she, he had deliberately put her child in danger. "Jax pulled some strings, had him put back on the case."

Sonny's head was reeling, Jax had known. "Who else knows?"

Olivia knew that this was no time to keep secrets. "Lulu found out that he was undercover when they were in the Zacharra basement, and Johnny soon after."

"Does Lulu know anything else?" Sonny asked.

"She went after Dante when he found out, so I am assuming she knows."

"Yes I know everything." Lulu said as she walked into Sonny's apartment. What she knew wasn't the important fact right now though. "I came over because Dante isn't answering his phone, and Max and Milo lost Michael after school."

"Michael is gone." Sonny's words came out quiet, he was still reeling from finding out that he had a son he never knew about, and now to top it off Michael was missing.

"Could he have just shut off his phone honey?" Olivia asked. Lulu shook her head, he wouldn't have left her without a guard outside of work.

"No, he was supposed to be guarding the metro court, He didn't want to see Kate so he was at the main doors. Carly called and had guards put at every elevator. He was supposed to wait for me to leave work. Then we were going to meet up with Max and Michael."

"Call Carly, and let her know about Michael." Sonny said, pointing to Lulu. He wasn't going to freak out yet, Michael had a tendency to do as he pleased lately. "Don't tell her Dom- I mean Dante is missing, or any of that, just tell her Michael didn't meet Max after school. I will call Spinelli and have him start looking over the Metro court and schools video footage."

* * *

Michael sighed as he paced Franco's loft, unsure of what came next. Franco had promised to retrieve Dominic, but then what. Michael had just been venting, he hadn't really wanted to hurt Dominic. Well, actually he had, but he didn't want to do it. Hurting Dominic would mean looking Morgan in the eyes and knowing that he had cause morgan pain to. Then again Morgan didn't see the truth about Dominic, so he was doing his brother a favor, saving him from the manipulations that Dominic had used to become a trusted member of the Corintho's Organization. Yes, he was securing, both his and Michaels spots in the Corintho's family business.

Michaels head was reeling with thoughts, Franco had only allowed him a pocket knife, so how was he going to do this. Dominic would easily over power him, so he need to be faster, sneakier. Franco had told him, that when the time came, he would know what to do, but how would he know?

He was startled when the door opened and Franco came in with Dominic behind him, no binds on his hand or anything. Had Franco betrayed him?


End file.
